


Third Time's The Charm

by honeycottage



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, HOWEVER ron is a bit of an idiot and will be appropriately called out, Infrequent Updates, M/M, No Weasley Bashing, Slow Burn, Slytherin Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2020-12-27 00:17:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21109571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeycottage/pseuds/honeycottage
Summary: Dolores Umbridge wasn't the only decision the Ministry made in an attempt to control the narrative after Harry Potter claimed that Voldemort came back from the dead at the end of the school year in 1994. Deciding it was too dangerous to leave Harry in Gryffindor, the House of the Brave, the Ministry decides to pass legislature mandating that students face the Sorting Hat again at the start of their 4th year. Officially, it's under the reasoning that as students grow and develop, they may find themselves better suited to another House and the Ministry is really big on Students Continuing To Develop Healthily And Normally. Unofficially, it's an attempt to remove Harry from any friends who might have believed him about Voldemort. And so, in Harry's 5th year, he's resorted as a Slytherin- the House full of children of Death Eaters just as Wizarding Britain is on the brink of another war.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Unexpected Consequences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753381) by [Siebenschlaefer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siebenschlaefer/pseuds/Siebenschlaefer). 

> I had seen lately a ton of "Harry-is-resorted-as-a-Slytherin" types of works (I'd seen one that more heavily inspired this one, where Dumbledore went "Hm, we need inter House Unity" and decided to resort everyone. However, I don't think Manipulative Dumbledore would risk anyone "tainting" Harry, so I decided the Ministry forced it and it spiraled from there...) and I really wanted to try my hand at it. It's such an interesting concept to me, and I think it'd be especially interesting to see how this would impact the wizarding war with Harry as a Slytherin.
> 
> Also, I am super not a fan of Dumbledore, and so this will contain a fair amount of Dumbledore Bashing. No, I will not apologize for this, Dumbledore is the WORST.

Harry was unsure what he had expected upon returning to Hogwarts for his 5th year, but it was safe to say that this was most certainly not it.

Dumbledore was stood at his usual spot, a twinkle in his eyes. The first years had not yet been led in, but the older students had not been permitted to sit down.

“Welcome back, students, to another year at Hogwarts! The Ministry has made some education reforms this summer, which are to be implemented immediately.” Harry shared a nervous look with his year-mates; all of them could very clearly remember the last time the Ministry interfered at Hogwarts during their second year. Harry had not had access to the Prophet at all over the summer, so he wasn’t aware of any “reforms” that they had passed but judging from the expressions of Ron and Hermione, neither had they. “Among these changes is the fact that all students are to be resorted after their third year. As such, the second and third years may sit at their tables. Only Fourth years and above need be resorted.” And suddenly, it hit Harry quite plainly what must be happening as he thought back to how angry Fudge had been that Harry was cleared of all charges.

Fudge was hoping Harry would be resorted, away from the Gryffindors who would be the group of people that the Minister felt would be most likely to believe Harry about Voldemort coming back. Judging by the twinkle in Dumbledore’s eyes, he had no issue with the plan. Most likely, Harry thought, Dumbledore assumed Harry would go straight back to Gryffindor and should worst come to worst, perhaps he would be able to convince his new House (which, Dumbledore surely thought would be something like Hufflepuff) that Voldemort was indeed back.

Harry, however, was not so sure. He thought back to what the hat said to him in his first year: _You could do well in Slytherin_. He supposed that was no shock- surviving the Dursleys required some cunning. However, what worried Harry was the fact that surviving Hogwarts _also_ required a fair amount of Slytherin traits. As the resort began with the 7th years, all of whom looked angry and upset at the possibility of being put in a different House after six years, Harry comforted himself with the reminder that the hat would take his wants into account.

The Sorting seemed to drag on for ages. They had finally reached the 5th years with Hannah Abbott, who went straight back to Hufflepuff almost the instant the hat touched her head. Idly, Harry wondered what the firsties outside were doing. Perhaps the ghosts were keeping them entertained?

“Granger, Hermione!” Hermione walked calmly up to the hat, the exact opposite of herself when she was 11 and had sprinted up to it. The hat once again took it’s time with her, before placing her back in Gryffindor. Harry remembered her telling him that the hat had once debated putting her in Ravenclaw. It seemed the hat still felt that she could be suited to either House, then.

“Longbottom, Neville!” Harry watched as Neville approached the hat, far more confident than he had in their first year. This time, Neville was not nearly a Hatstall, but instead was put back in Gryffindor before the hat fully settled on his head. That had seemed to be the main trend; most people went back to their original House. One 6th year Hufflepuff had been resorted as a Ravenclaw and one Slytherin had also found themself resorted as a ‘Claw this time around but other than them, most people had gone back to where they had been put before. Interestingly, however, Fred and George and both become Hatstalls. According to the whispers from the other 7th years, that had not been the case when they were 11. Apparently the instant the hat sat on their heads back then, they went straight to Gryffindor. Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione had all tried to catch the twins’ gazes but each time the twins met their questioning eyes, both just smiled at them and shook their heads.

Finally, Harry’s own name was called. As he sat on the stool, Harry caught the reassuring gaze of his friends before the hat was slipped on his head.

_Ah, Mr. Potter, what a pleasure it is to see you once again. Very rarely do students put me on more than once, and we are here at three times._

**_Yes, well, I suppose you have the Ministry to thank for this._** Harry thought the hat chuckled.

_Make no mistake, I do. Now then... What to do with you? You still have plenty of courage, of course, but your thirst to prove yourself has not diminished either. Oh goodness, but your cunning and your ambition have both drastically become front in center, haven’t they? Yes, there is something you want quite badly, through whatever means necessary._

** _You’re suggesting Slytherin again, aren’t you?_ **

_But of course! You could have done well in Slytherin back then, and you’d do well there now. There is a goal you want, and Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness._

**_But I don’t want to be great,_** Harry argued. **_That isn’t what I want._**

_Do you not think that defeating Voldemort would make you great? No, even if it is not the glory you are after, you must be great to achieve that goal. _

** _Slytherin is full of the children of Death Eaters and Death Eater sympathizers. I would not be safe there. I would absolutely not be able to keep people safe if I’m dead._ **

_I think you will find, Harry, that you will be safer in Slytherin then you would be elsewhere._

** _I know Godric Gryffindor put some brains in you. Have you lost your mind? At least four of them are the children of Death Eaters, children of the people who tried to kill me only a few months ago._ **

_Children are rarely their parents, Mr. Potter, as you no doubt know._

**_They rarely are, but their behavior towards me thus far does not inspire confidence of their benevolence!_** Harry couldn’t believe this was even a conversation. **_They’ve been nothing but cruel to me and my friends since we were 11 years old._**

_That doesn’t change the fact that your core values have changed. Your bravery has taken a cooling, I see. Your ambition has become stronger._

** _Of course it has; I want to defeat Voldemort. He murdered a friend in front of me. He killed my parents. I want to protect people; I don’t want anyone else to die because of me. I want to stop him._ **

_And Slytherin will teach you the tools to do that._

** _No it wouldn’t! Gryffindor is the House of the brave! If I’m not as brave, then surely-_ **

_It is not that you are less brave, Mr. Potter. Quite the contrary. Your desire to keep people safe requires an extraordinary amount of bravery. You are more _cautious _with your bravery. There is a difference. The adventures you did in your earlier years would not have happened if you were as cautious then as you are now, but that does not make you a coward._

** _So where does that leave us, then?_ **

_Back at the beginning._

** _But if I were to keep people safe, I’d need to be recklessly brave. I can’t be selfish in my bravery. Gryffindor will teach me that again._ **

_Mr. Potter, valuing yourself does not mean that you are selfish. Perhaps that is another thing Slytherin can help you with._

**_I don’t want to be in Slytherin, though. I thought you took the student’s desires into account?_** Harry could see that arguing with the blasted Hat would do no good, and so he changed tactics.

_Normally I do, however it’s clear to me that you are best suited for Slytherin, and isn’t that what this educational reform was for?_

** _If you’re trying to tell me that the Ministry is always right, I swear to Merlin I will find a way to bring back Godric Gryffindor so he can undo whatever magic he put in you._ **

_I fear we are getting off topic, Mr. Potter. You need to be Sorted, and I have many more students to get through. My mind is made up. You will do well in-_

“SLYTHERIN!”

The Great Hall was deadly silent as Harry handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall. Harry risked a glance over to the staff table and saw that Dumbledore’s eyes had lost their characteristic twinkle. Hagrid was looking anywhere but at him. Flitwick looked intrigued, while the rest of the teachers, save for Snape, merely looked shocked and confused. Snape, however, looked… looked murderously confused. It was an odd combination and Harry fought back a snicker as Snape gestured for Harry to come and speak with him as the rest of the Sorting continued.

Snape cast a silencing charm before inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, as if trying to maintain his temper.

“What, exactly, was that?” The Potions professor demanded, as if Harry knew any better than he did. However, he was wary to answer the Professor’s question. After 4 years of a highly antagonistic relationship, Harry did not feel comfortable telling this man anything remotely close to the truth. Seeing that his new Head of House was growing impatient with Harry’s continued silence, he made the split-second decision to treat Snape as he would Uncle Vernon; with respect but a healthy amount of fearful white lying.

“The hat felt me best suited for Slytherin this time around,” he said carefully.

“That is not all of it. You were a Hatstall, meaning the hat would have taken your choice into account. On some level… you desired to be in my House, Potter.”

Harry shifted, uncomfortable, before deciding a half truth would be best. “The Hat asked me what I wanted. I told it the truth, and it placed me here.” Snape studied Harry with an unreadable expression.

“Come,” he said, ending the silencing charm. “Allow me to introduce you to your new Housemates.” Harry followed him, although he thought quite darkly, that he did not need any introduction to his year mates. He stifled a sigh as they approached the table, because most of the Slytherins in their year had already been resorted. Blaise Zabini was the last to face the Hat which meant that all the others were staring at him.

“Slytherins,” Snape began, and although Harry didn’t see the bat cast any spells, there must have been some cast nonverbally and without use of a wand, for the background chatter faded as though another silencing charm was in place. “I understand that some of you have an... Interesting, shall we say, relationship with Mr. Potter here. However, allow me to state a few things that should already be apparent. One, Potter was a Hatstall, in which case the Hat would take his preferences into account; he desired, on some level, to be in this House. Two, as he is now a Slytherin, he is to be treated as such.” Snape’s gaze seemed to lock onto Malfoy, who merely looked bored, as though having his rival resorted into his House was a normal daily occurrence. “If I were to catch wind of any mistreatment towards Potter, I would be... _most_ displeased.”

Harry fought back a snort at that last phrase; to him, all that meant was that the Slytherins simply would not let Snape find out that they wanted to murder the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry sank into the space that had been cleared for him, and Snape – _Professor_ Snape, he corrected himself, stalked back to the Staff Table. His cloak billowed out behind him, in its usual fashion. As he left, the silencing charm lifted, and Harry realized that the sorting had progressed until it was just Ron, and Zabini left to be sorted.

“Weasley, Ronald!” Harry watched, with a sickening feeling of dread as Ron approached the hat without sparing a glance towards the black-haired boy. As the Hat once again placed Ron in Gyffindor, were he sat with his back to Harry, the boy could not ignore the ominous feeling of foreboding that filled him. If Ron’s reaction was to ignore him, when he had been Harry’s best friend since they were 11, then what exactly would be Sirius’ reaction, when the man had only been in Harry’s life for two short years?

Harry didn’t want to know the answer.

The 4th years were resorted as well, though the only ones Harry bothered paying attention to were Colin Creevy (Harry was relieved the boy had been placed in Gryffindor again, much to the younger’s clear disappointment), Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood, whom he’d met briefly on the carriage ride over. Ginny had once again gone to Gryffindor, while Luna returned to Ravenclaw.

Harry ignored the first year Sortings, clapping politely along with the others. He caught a few appraising looks from the others as Harry clapped for the Slytherin first years and Harry wanted to roll his eyes, but he thought better of it.

“Now then! Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts!” Dumbledore stood at his usual gold owl podium. “I apologize for the wait in beginning the announcements, however, it was unavoidable. To those who changed Houses- I hope you are welcomed to your new House warmly! I would like to remind everyone that people, at their core, are who they have always been and that a new House does not change that...”

Harry tuned out the rest of the speech. He supposed that bit had been mostly for his own benefit- telling the rest of the school that Harry was still the Boy-Who-Lived. A person to be trusted, despite his new House. Harry was no idiot; he knew that his new House had a reputation. Hell, it’s reputation was half the reason why he’d not been placed here back in his first year. He glanced around and met the questioning gazes of his new yearmates.

“For Merlin’s sake,” he sighed, “If you lot have a question, could you just ask it?” Nott snorted from his spot catty-corner Harry.

“Is it true then? What Professor Snape said?” Malfoy demanded, looking a cross between offended and interested.

Harry nodded slowly, figuring an edited honesty would work with them the same way it had for Snape. “The Hat asked me what I wanted. I told it the truth, and it placed me here.” Everyone looked interested.

“And pray tell, what did you want, Potter?” Parkinson asked him.

Harry smiled tightly at her. “That would be telling, wouldn’t it?” To his surprise, the surrounding Slytherins looked approving.

“A very Slytherin answer. Perhaps there’s hope for you yet, Potter. Don’t think we aren’t all aware of how Gryffindor you are.” It was Zabini who spoke this time, and before Harry could respond, an Eastern Asian girl interrupted.

“Can we please focus on the announcements now that Dumbledore is finished reminding everyone about the Forbidden Forest?” Malfoy rolled his eyes.

“Sorry, Trace, forgot you loved to learn every new rule.”

“All the better to know how to break them,” she quipped back. Judging from their grins, Harry supposed that this was a conversation they had routinely.

However, her desire to listen to Dumbledore was cut short with a brisk “_hem hem!_” and Harry could barely believe who stood at the podium. How Harry missed her, he wasn’t sure, because the sight of her made him burn with anger.

Umbridge.

The others looked confused as she stood and began talking. Clearly, none of them had noticed her either, or if they had, they hadn’t expected her to begin speaking to them all. The speech largely bored Harry, although he caught the gist of it. “Pruning practices”, and the fact she was from the Ministry, in addition to the education reforms the Ministry had evidently recently passed could only mean one thing: The Ministry was interfering at Hogwarts. The rest of the opening speech passed quickly, and soon everyone was digging into the food.

“Does anyone know who that toad is?” was the first thing the same Eastern Asian girl had asked.

Before anyone else had a chance to say anything, Harry spoke up. “Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic.” Everyone turned to look at him.

“How do you know her?” The girl, was her name Davis? Tracey Davis? demanded.

“She was at my hearing.” He glanced at the woman in question, “She’s vile. Terribly disappointed I wasn’t found guilty. I imagine she would have tried to get the sentencing up from expulsion to Azkaban if she could.”

“Trial? You, Saint Potter, had a trial? For what? Did you finally murder someone?” Malfoy asked, with only a hint of a sneer.

“No,” he said shortly, and he tried his best to shove Quirrell’s screams from his mind, “I did magic in front of a Muggle, so I suppose they were trying to get me on breaking the underage magic law and breach for the Statue of Secrecy. Although, that bit is utter tripe- The muggle in question is related to me; he already knows about magic. I would not, however, put it past that toad to Obliviate him just to make that charge stick if she could.”

Silence followed this, then-

“Paranoia isn't a good look, you know,” Malfoy sneered. “Not everyone’s out to get Perfect Saint Potter, you know.”

“Given that Dementors have no business in Surrey and that my trial should have only been with Madame Bones, and not the entire Wizengamot, yes I suppose I am a bit paranoid.”

“Back up,” Zabini said, “Dementors? You got tried by Wizengamot? Potter, what on Earth _happened_?”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. “A couple of Dementors attacked my cousin and I near his home in Surrey. I couldn’t- couldn’t just leave him, you know? Those things are vile, and I couldn’t let him get Kissed... So I cast a Patronus, and they fled. Dudley, my cousin, was a right sight though. I had to carry him back to our house. Once we got there, I got an owl saying I was expelled for using underage magic in the presence of a Muggle. I challenged it, and I won.” He glanced up at Dumbledore, and then at Umbridge before turning back to his food.

More silence.

“Do things like this happen to you often, Harry?” Harry startled at the use of his first name. He turned to look at Greengrass, who looked vaguely concerned.

“Things like what?”

“Things that put you in danger, of course.” She seemed aghast that Harry didn’t immediately know what she meant.

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Malfoy sneered. “It’ll be an interesting year then.”

Harry sure hoped that that was neither a prophecy nor prediction. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's first day of Slytherin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will likely be my last update for a while; my dog broke my laptop. Long story short, he knocked it off my lap and it hit the ground and shattered a corner of my laptop and caused part of the screen to detach from the lid. Using it is extremely hard and as a result most of this chapter was typed on my phone, which was extremely hard.
> 
> Snape's welcome speech is paraphrased from the Pottermore welcome message.

Dinner came to a close rather quickly, Harry felt. After his interrogation, the Slytherins seemed content to talk amongst themselves. Harry noted that Davis mostly seemed to talk to Malfoy and Greengrass, along with the fact that Parkinson mostly seemed to talk to Bulstrode and Zabini, which shocked Harry because he thought that the pug-faced girl was close with Malfoy, if the events of their third year could be believed. Crabbe and Goyle mostly kept to themselves, as did Nott, although the other boy seemed to sort of drift between groups. It was an odd thing to watch; it was almost as if some sort of line had been drawn, long before now and that both groups kept to this line. Harry nearly furrowed his eyebrows, but his desire to keep his observation on the down low prevented this. If these groups were indeed set and distinct and separate, then why had Parkinson been so attached to Malfoy third year? Had something happened to reshift these lines? He wasn’t sure. Before he could ponder the matter further, Malfoy and Parkinson both stood up.

“The password for the next two weeks is _Aqua Vita_,” Parkinson informed them. “Make sure you attempt the Latin pronunciation, or else the wall won’t open. Draco and I would come with you all for the walk down to the common room, but we have to escort the first years.” Harry knew they had both been made the 5th year prefects, and he wondered vaguely who the 6th and 7th year prefects were. He supposed he’d find out. Not waiting for the others, he made his way down to where he knew the Slytherin entrance was with confidence, having been there before in his 2nd year. When the other 5th years caught up with him, he was met with suspicious stares, even from Crabbe and Goyle.

“How’d you know where our common room is located?” Zabini was most definitely suspicious.

Harry decided against mentioning he’d broken in before. Instead, he shrugged. “I know where all the common rooms are located. It’s not like it’s supposed to be a secret, is it?” Not waiting for a response, he turned to face the blank wall. “_Aqua Vita.”_ Harry thought his Latin was passable. True, he didn’t know if anything in it was a stressed syllable or not, but he knew enough that the v was said like a w, and he hoped that it met the wall’s requirements. He was pleased when the wall opened.

Harry headed into the common room and before he could turn to ask where the dorm room was, he was dragged onto the couch where Nott and Bulstrode immediately sat on either side of him.

“What’s happening?” He questioned them.

“You need to wait for Professor Snape’s welcoming speech before you can go to the dorms.” He glanced at Nott, confused.

“Welcome speech?” Harry questioned.

“You’ll see.” was the vague answer he got in response. Some time passed, and Malfoy and Parkinson led in the first years.

“...common room,” Malfoy was saying. “You’ll spend most of your time here, once classes have finished, unless you go to the courtyard or library.”

“You’ll also find your dorm rooms here. Boys rooms are to the right, girls to the left. 7th years have their own rooms. You’ll climb the stairs to the very top to find your year’s dorm. And before you ask, there’s an entire catacomb beneath the castle that makes up the Slytherin dorms and common room. There’s also secret rooms you can find here for studying- if you’re clever enough to find them.” Before she could elaborate further, there was a sudden cough that drew everyone’s attention to the entrance. If Nott or Bulstrode noticed how Harry’s hand flew to his wand in his pocket at the unexpected noise, neither commented nor reacted.

“Indeed, Ms. Parkinson.” Snape stood at the doorway, “To my older students, welcome back. I hope you continue to prove that you aren’t the dunderheads your peers are, but as always, time shall tell. To the First Years, I’m delighted to welcome you to the Slytherin House. I am your Head of House, and Potions Master, Professor Snape. Firstly, let me dispel some... unfortunate myths for you all.” the Potions Master’s gaze was fixed firmly on the first years, with a hint of a smile on his face. He looked softer than Harry could ever recall him looking, and Harry was abruptly reminded that the man was indeed human.

“You might have heard rumors about the Slytherin House. Let me be plain: No House has a monopoly on Darkness, as it were. The other Houses have produced their fair share of Dark wixen, but do not have the courage to accept that fact. Allow me to reassure you, Merlin himself was a Slytherin and he was perhaps, the best wizard of all time.” Harry had to admit it to the Potions Professor- he knew how to command attention. Everyone’s eyes were locked firmly on him, and he didn’t raise his voice at all. However, he reflected, this should not have been a surprise given the speech he gave to Harry’s class on their very first day.

“However, it matters little to the other Houses that Merlin was a Slytherin. Slytherin has a reputation, and as such you will need to be ready to deal with the consequences of that reputation. You must not give the other Houses reason to think you care about their opinion. I would tell you that caring about such things is unbecoming, but no matter.” Snape took a breath, and then continued.

“Slytherin is the House of the cunning. Slytherins value ambition and cleverness and are very determined. We care about fraternity and honor. Furthermore, Salazar Slytherin looked for those who would be great. In that regard if you are in this House, you have the potential to be great, whatever that means for you. I wish to stress, Slytherins look after their own. The rest of the British Wizarding World will surely not look after you, and as such, no one is to walk alone in these halls and the first years must always have an upper year with them when walking to classes.” He allowed for silence, so that everyone could digest what was said.

“Next, allow me to speak plainly, as it will be foolish to not do so, and I am not in the habit of acting a fool.” Harry looked at him, startled. Was he about to- “The Dark Lord has returned.” A stifling choked silence fell. Harry some many looks of surprise, but he was unsure if it was because of how Snape addressed Voldemort, if they truly wanted the Daily Prophet to be correct, or because they were not used to him speaking so plainly. “Once the rest of the wizarding world accepts this fact, life will get harder for you all. Many of the Dark Lord’s followers were Slytherins and he himself was a Slytherin. You will be guilty by whatever loose association you may have, regardless of how ‘fair’ this notion may be.” He glanced around the room.

“Some of you may have family who serve the Dark Lord. As previously stated, Slytherin is a family. I am not telling you that you must write home and disown your family, but merely know this: Your political affiliation means nothing within these walls, as no one else will care for it. You are a family here, and I expect my snakes to act like it.” Harry didn’t look around, but he had a feeling that this speech wouldn’t do much. While it sounded nice in theory, Harry had experience in family who didn’t like him much, and he largely expected the people surrounding him to treat him like the Dursleys had- with open disdain and revulsion. Harry dragged himself out of his thoughts when he registered that Snape was still speaking.

“Next, I wish to go over the rules of my House. I shall be conducting interviews with each of you; normally these only occur in your fourth and sixth years, to discuss upcoming OWLs and NEWTs, however I take liberty with this responsibility and talk with all my students. With my older years, we will discuss your academics, and my younger years, I will see how you are settling in with the new environment and will aid you in settling in however I can. Further, the Ministry has passed legislature that says students shall have health screenings done at the start of each school year, and anything found at the newly implemented annual health check will also be discussed, to ensure you all understand anything that is found, be it an allergy or a more serious ailment. As these health checks will be done year level at a time, a second meeting will occur at a later date for this conversation.” Harry paled. That was also something he had not heard of. Annual health check? He wasn’t concerned that Madame Pomfrey would find any new bruises or cuts -all of which had long since healed, given how long he had spent at Grimmauld Place- but, he had a fair number of scars, and he wasn’t sure how well any broken bones he had gotten from Harry Hunting had healed, as he had never been taken to a doctor for them. He resolved to look up what sort of spells went into a health check to see how in depth they went, before he panicked any.

“Finally, I will not take points from any of you. I imagine some of the other professors will be all too happy to find a reason to take points from you,” Harry scowled openly at the hypocrisy of that statement, as Snape had found any and every reason to take points from Harry and his friends. “However, I will assign my own detentions as I see fit for any infractures that happen. Should you be tempted to break any rules: Do Not.” His gaze lingered on Harry, who met his gaze impassively.

“That will be all. Announcements will be posted to the notice board, and the schedules for meetings will be posted tomorrow morning. Schedules will be passed out at breakfast tomorrow. Goodnight.” Snape turned and swept out of the room. As the wall closed up behind him, the students broke into groups and began talking. Harry at once made his escape to the door on the right that led to the boy’s dorms. He followed the stairs into a passage and found a door labeled “5th Year” and pushed it open.

The dorm itself was rectangular, larger and more spacious than the Gryffindor one had been. Harry found his stuff at a bed at the corner furthest from the door. He frowned. That didn’t sit well with him, and despite Snape’s crap about how Slytherins were a “family”, Harry had no reason to believe that the notion would be extended to himself, nor did Harry desire to be so unprotected while surrounded by the children of people who tried to kill him.

Which is how Harry found himself putting up as many protective wards as he could around his bed and trunk. He was immensely pleased Hermione had made him practice defensive magic in preparation for the Triwizard Tournament last year. He knew that his wards were basic, and that any strong curse could break them but for now, he was content. Perhaps when we went back to Grimmauld Place for Christmas, he could find some books on defensive magic in the Black Library, or even find books on defensive warding in the library. He resolved to ask Hermione tomorrow.

Suddenly bone exhausted, Harry changed and collapsed on his bed with the curtains drawn and he fell asleep dreaming of multicolored lights flashing, before seeing two bright flashes of green and hearing screaming.

The next morning, Harry was the first one awake. Harry was grateful for this and set about getting ready for his day. When he headed to the main common room, he was unsurprised to find it empty. He had always been an early riser. A _Tempus_ told him it was 6:30 in the morning, and breakfast did not begin until 7:30. He supposed it would be a while before anyone else woke up. Deciding to sit and draft a letter to Sirius, he sat at a desk in a corner and grabbed a pen and some parchment.

_Dear Snuffles,_

_I know term has only just started, but I have so much to tell you. _

_Have you heard anything about the educational reforms the Ministry has passed? I’m unsure what all they entail, but one of them says that students are to be Sorted again upon the start of their 4th year. Most everyone went back to their original House, though, which I don’t think comes as a shock._

_I don’t think there’s an easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it: I was put in Slytherin. _

_I know you don’t like Slytherin much, but I hope you like me more than you dislike Slytherin. If you’d rather I’d stop contacting you, I’d understand._

_If you still care, I’m safe. Hermione and I studied loads of defensive magic last year. I’ve put protective wards around my bed and trunk, and I’m going to research more in the library when I get the chance. _

_Write me back soon, please._

_Love, _

_Harry._

Harry heard shuffling behind him as he folded the letter and he looked up to notice that some older students were filtering into the common room. Still, Harry was desperate to avoid his new Housemates, so he checked the noticeboard to see when his meeting with Snape was. It said it was on that day, right after lunch. Harry sighed, it seemed he’d be meeting the professor sooner rather than later.

He shouldered his bag on and headed quickly to the Great Hall after sending Hedwig off with his letter (“Peck him until he writes back if you have to, please. I need to know.”) and looked desperately at the Gryffindor table, where he spotted a familiar head of hair.

“Hermione!” He greeted, relieved to see her and sat next to her. She looked up and looked pleased to see him.

“Oh, _Harry_, why is everything always happening to you?” She asked, face pinched. The black-haired boy took a moment to be amused at how much she sounded like McGonagall.

“I wish I knew, ‘Mione,” he sighed. “The good news is, I put those defensive spells we learned last year to use. My bed and trunk are all warded. Would you come with me to the library after breakfast to research more? I want to be prepared.”

“Of course I will, Harry.” Sudden noise alerted them to the arrival of other people, and they both looked to the entrance to the Great Hall and saw what looked like half the upper year Slytherins arriving. Harry was bemused to notice that the prefects all looked frazzled and stressed. Surely nothing had happened already; it was a Saturday morning. One of the 7th year prefects looked over to the Gryffindor table and nudged the other, and soon half the House was staring at Harry. Some of them looked offended, while others merely rolled their eyes.

“Harry? What’s that about?” Hermione asked, clearly spotting their reactions.

“I imagine I did something they didn’t like.”

“Quite.” The voice caused them both to whirl around and stare up at Professor Snape. “Potter. Come. You need to sit with your own House.”

“Sir, you can’t expect me to abandon my friends- “

“I am not telling you to do anything of the sort,” Snape cut him off, looking irritated. “I am telling you to sit with your House. You may speak with Miss Granger later.” Harry shot her an apologetic look and joined the Slytherins across the hall.

The instant he sat down next to Zabini, he was bombarded.

“_Where_ were you?” Malfoy demanded. Harry blinked.

“I came up for breakfast.”

“On your _own?” _Malfoy sounded a tad hysterical.

“Um. Yes?” Harry blinked again. “I don’t get what’s wrong.” Zabini’s head thudded onto the table.

“Did you not hear Professor’s Snape’s speech last night, Potter?” Nott asked, sounding as if he had aged suddenly.

“I did! I even checked to see when my meeting with him was!” Harry defended himself.

“Then _why_ did you come to breakfast _on your own_?” Harry blinked slowly.

“I wanted breakfast.” He said this as if he was talking to an incredibly dull child.

“Merlin, you’re going to get killed within a week.” Malfoy still sounded hysterical. “And it’s my job to keep you from getting killed. Merlin. Blaise, please take my prefect badge,” he begged.

“I will not, no one tries to kill me that early in the term.” Harry turned and began putting food onto his plate, ignoring the choked noise that escaped the boys around him.

“Potter. Slytherins don’t walk around on their own.” Harry looked up at the new voice, and dimly recognized the 7th year standing in front of him. Cassius Warrington, the 7th year boy prefect who had put his name in the Goblet last year.

“I don’t want an escort,” he said curtly.

“Regardless if you want one, you’ll always be with at least one other person. It is for your safety, as well as the safety of the rest of my snakes.” Warrington’s voice took a dangerous edge. “If only you were at risk, I’d let you risk your fool neck until you understood, but you will not endanger the rest of my snakes. Certainly not the younger years who depend on the upper years for protection. If you complain further, I will bring this to Snape.” As quickly as he came, the older boy was gone, leaving Harry stunned.

“What was that?” Everyone around him just shook their heads.

“Potter, you of all people should know. What happened over the summer?”

Harry met Zabini’s stare head on. “If I’m to believe people believe that and are going to attack Slytherins over it, then my head has to be full of bees,” he snorted with as much contempt as he could muster.

“Merlin, you’re thick.”

“Cheers, Zabini.”

At some point, the rest of the Slytherins arrived, as had some of the other students. Once everyone was seated at the Slytherin table, Snape began passing out timetables. When Harry got his, he looked it over intently.

Monday:

[BREAKFAST]

**Herbology** – Ravenclaw. 8:30-10:00

**Potions **– Gryffindor. 10:30-12:00

[LUNCH]

**Transfiguration** – Gryffindor. 13:30-15:00

**History of Magic **– Ravenclaw 15:30-17:00

[DINNER]

**Astronomy **– Gryffindor. 21:00-22:30

Tuesday:

**Care of Magical Creatures** – Gryffindor. 8:30-10:00

**Defense Against the Dark Arts** – Hufflepuff. 10:30-12:00

[LUNCH]

**Charms** – Ravenclaw. 13:30-15:00

**Divination** – Hufflepuff. 15:30-17:00

[DINNER]

Harry noted that Wednesday and Friday merely repeated Monday’s schedule, while Tuesday and Thursday shared blocks.

“You take Divination?” Harry glanced up at Nott, who was staring over his shoulder at his schedule.

“Reluctantly,” Harry admitted. After two years of his death being predicted, Harry wasn’t sure he wanted to take the subject to the OWL level, and he had to admit that Ancient Runes had become more interesting to him the more Hermione talked about it over the years.

“You know you could drop.”

Interest sparked in Harry. “How?”

“Talk to Professor Snape during your meeting.” Harry nodded and returned to his breakfast, and he was painfully aware how much smaller his portions were when compared to his new housemates. He cursed his luck for sitting next to Goyle _and_ Nott, because Goyle’s portions made everyone else’s look ridiculously small, but sitting next to Nott made his own look even smaller, because Nott had a normal amount of food. He swore to try and sit solely between Crabbe and Goyle from thereon out, if only to make his portion sizes look more normal. Thankfully, most of the others still seemed to be asleep since how fast he was finished largely went unnoticed. It wasn’t until Harry stood up to leave that everyone’s gaze snapped to him.

“Potter, where are you going?” Malfoy again looked tired.

“Library with Hermione.” He looked at all of them in turn, gaze settling on Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy. “You aren’t invited.” The last thing he wanted was any of them to come and harass his friend. Malfoy merely nodded.

“Blaise and Tracey can go with you. Or Daphne, if you like.”

“No one will be coming with me.” Harry knew that they hadn’t had issues with Zabini, Davis and Greengrass before, however none of them had ever defended Hermione from the others' blood purist attacks against her, and he knew Hermione would be guarded at best, or at worst, extremely hurt Harry had brought them along and Harry James Potter would rather die than upset her.

“Not an option. Slytherins don’t travel alone.” It was Zabini who interjected now.

“No offense, but Hermione wouldn’t be thrilled if any of you showed up and I'm not in the habit of upsetting my best friend.”

“Why would she be upset if I came?” Tracey asked, clearly having overheard.

“She wouldn’t exactly be upset, but she wouldn’t be happy. She’s not in the habit of spending time with people who attack and harass her for existing.” Harry genuinely hadn’t meant to broach the subject of blood purity so soon and yet-

“I haven’t ever attacked her for being a Muggleborn!” Davis was clearly offended at the notion and Harry couldn’t be bothered to care.

“Maybe not, but no one ever defended her when Malfoy and everyone else went after her. Sometimes silence is agreement, Davis, even if you don’t want it to be.” Harry thought back to his own childhood, where no one ever helped him when Dudley and his gang attacked him at school, and how upset he was when the onlookers later tried to talk to him in private. No, he wouldn’t subject Hermione to that. “As such, I'll be going alone.”

Not waiting for a response, Harry hurried out of the Great Hall and as soon as he made it past the doors, he swung on his Invisibility Cloak and waited silently. He was sure someone was going to try and follow him. Sure enough, he had barely counted to 15 before Davis and Greengrass hurried out and looked around. Both seemed puzzled when they couldn't see Harry's retreating form headed in the direction of the library. He carefully slipped past them both in their confusion and headed over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione was finishing her breakfast. He nudged her to get her attention. She jumped and whirled around, looking for who had grabbed her. Recognition bled into the confusion when she saw no one.

“It’s me, Mione,” he breathed into her ear. “The Slytherins didn’t want me to go to the library on my own so I slipped away under my cloak.”

“Why?”

“Apparently Slytherins go nowhere on their own, but Merlin knows how much I want to be alone with them.”

“I suspect they’ll be watching for us in the library then,” she commented.

“Probably. Good thing our normal spot is hidden.”

With that, the pair headed to the library. Sure enough, Davis and Greengrass were seated at a table near the entrance to the library and though both acted as if they were reading, Harry knew their eyes were glued to the door. Hermione didn’t spare them a glance as she headed to the Restricted Section of the library. The year prior, she and Harry had both gotten passes to the Restricted Section when they mentioned to Flitwick about wanting to study more advanced defensive magic. He had told them it wasn’t dangerous necessarily but merely kept there due to the more difficult nature. However, now that Hermione was a prefect and had complete access to the Restricted Section and Harry was currently invisible, there was no need for their passes.

They spent some time gathering books and retreated to their table, which was located in a rather secluded corner of the library. It had become their spot in 2nd year, when they and Ron had discussed how to investigate if Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. The thought of Ron drove a sharp pain into Harry’s chest.

“How was Gryffindor last night?”

Hermione looked up at him, startled. “It was weird, Harry. I don’t think I had realized just what a central figure you were in Gryffindor. It was quieter, without you and Ron joking around or you talking about quidditch with anyone who would listen.”

Harry felt guilty at the thought of his old team. “What does everyone on the team think?”

“Oh, they’re all upset. Not at you, but the situation. Ginny said she might try out for Seeker though, which placated them.” Harry nodded, relieved.

“Has Ron said anything?” Harry tried to keep his voice casual, but knew he didn’t manage it when Hermione shot him a sympathetic glance.

“No. He even left the common room when people started talking about you.” Harry’s heart sank, and he nodded. Hermione, sensing the conversation was over, went back to her books. Harry did the same, and together they made a list of spells Harry should learn.

By the time lunch had rolled around, Harry was feeling much better about his ability to defend himself in the Slytherin dorm. He walked to the Great Hall on his own, under his cloak and he waited until Hermione had been in the Great Hall for a few minutes before tugging it off and storing it in his backpack and strolling into the Great Hall. As he spotted the Slytherins in his year, all of them looked thunderous. He slid in between Crabbe and Goyle, across from Parkinson, Nott and Malfoy. The instant he sat down, an interrogation began.

“_Potter_, just _what_ do you think you’re doing?” Malfoy demanded as Harry grabbed a sandwich and some fruit.

“Eating lunch.”

“Care to explain how you snuck past Tracey and Daphne this morning?” Harry shrugged.

“I think the fact I'm able to evade you lot means I don’t need a babysitter,” Harry said as he ate his sandwich. Malfoy banged his head on the table.

“Harry,” Parkinson began diplomatically, “It is for your safety, as well as the safety of the younger years that you travel in a group. You at least seemed invested in them during the Sorting. You know what the current climate could do to them. Is it fair to punish them for things they have no part in?”

“Of course not!” He felt particularly offended at the idea. The firsties were innocent in all of Harry’s hangups over Slytherin.

“Then for their sake, travel with us in groups. Others may not see it the way you do.”

“What do you mean?” Harry’s question was met with snorts of contempt.

“Just wait. You'll see.”

Harry heaved a sigh. “Fine. For the first years, I'll travel in a group. But,” he continued sharply, “_I_ get to choose who I travel with.” The rest of the 5th years glanced at each other before nodding slowly.

Lunch after that was a silent affair. Harry was determined to eat slowly, if only to make his portion size seem larger than it was. Even so, he was finished far faster than his peers and he did not miss the way that Malfoy's gaze flickered to his empty plate and lingered there before examining Harry.

Harry nodded at his yearmates. “I should get going. I have my meeting with Snape soon.” He was met with a chorus of “okay" and as he stood, he noticed Malfoy and Parkinson whispering to each other and glancing at his plate with a sinking feeling. Perhaps he would skip dinner or eat with Hermione.

Harry knocked on the door to the Potions classroom and entered only when he heard Snape's voice call “enter” in response. Professor Snape was seated at his table at the front of the room with a stool placed on the other side of his desk. Harry sat silently and waited for Professor Snape to speak.

“Potter, thank you for being on time. We have much to discuss. Let me begin by going over your academic performance.” Harry watched as Snape lifted up a stack of papers.

“Overall, you are an Acceptable student. Your grades thus far in Defense Against the Dark Arts have been consistently Outstanding, while your grades in Transfiguration, Charms and Herbology are all an Exceeds Expectations. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall have noted that your theory work could stand some improvement, and that this occasionally will lower your grade to an ‘Acceptable’ whereas Professor Sprout has no such qualms. She describes you as a model student in her class.” Snape's voice was professional, but if Harry strained, he could hear a hint of praise under the professional detachment and it left him reeling. Wasn’t this the man who hated him? Since when did he speak to Harry like that?

“Your grade in Astronomy is at a consistent ‘Acceptable’, though your professor has noted that with a bit of studying, you could easily improve your grade. Your performance in Care of Magical Creatures is also Acceptable, with Hagrid reporting that you get the occasional Outstanding, averaging your grade to an Exceeds Expectations.” At the mention of Hagrid, Snape's voice went flat and emotionless. Harry thought back to all of Snape’s previous scorn of Hagrid and he was confused as to why the man was suddenly so neutral towards the half-giant.

“As for potions…” Snape paused. “Your work is Acceptable. I believe if you applied yourself more, you could easily achieve an Exceeds Expectations or an Outstanding. As such, a tutor shall be assigned to you for Potions.” Snape shuffled some of his papers around, looking uncomfortable and Harry didn’t feel too far behind. Who _was_ this man? He surely was not the bitter man who tormented Harry and his friends for years. He had _complemented _Harry. Said _positive _things about him. Harry wasn’t sure how to navigate this- he had treated Snape as he had Uncle Vernon, but Uncle Vernon had never said anything resembling praise directed at Harry. This was uncharted territory.

“Finally, your grades in Divination and History of Magic are… abysmal. History of Magic sits at a Poor, while Divination frequently changes between a Poor and a low Acceptable. Therefore, as with Potions, a tutor shall be assigned for both subjects. Do you have any questions?”

“Just one, sir. Would it be possible to drop Divination, sir?”

Snape appraised him silently. “Is this an attempt to get out of doing the work for this class?”

“No, sir.” Normally that accusation would make Harry angry, but given his grades in that class Harry supposed he could understand it. “Rather, sir, I'm tired of Professor Trelawney predicting my death every class.” Snape nodded slowly.

“Is there a class you would prefer instead?” Harry hesitated, and Snape caught it. “Out with it, boy.”

“I was wondering, perhaps, could I take Ancient Runes?” Snape's gaze turned more appraising, if possible.

“You understand you would have to work exceptionally hard to catch up in order to be sufficiently prepared for the OWL examination, correct?” At Harry's nod, Snape made a note. “Very well, I shall see what I can do.”

Snape looked through another paper before he continued. “Next, Professor McGonagall told me you desired to be an Auror at the end of your 4th year. Do you still hold this ambition?” Harry mulled it over and then shook his head.

“Do you have another career choice in mind?”

“I thought perhaps… I could maybe be a Healer or Mediwizard?” Harry said tentatively. After Cedric, Harry had become quite taken with the idea of healing people. Had become tired of the violence that had surrounded his life, and based off of what he had seen of Mad-Eye Moody, that career would only add to the chaos and violence Harry so despised.

Snape nodded. “In that case, your desire for Ancient Runes is reasonable. Many healing spells draw power from rune magic. For a path in healing, you will require a NEWT in Ancient Runes, Potions, Herbology and Charms. In order to take Ancient Runes and Potions to the NEWT level, you will require an Outstanding on your OWLs for those subjects, while an EE will suffice for the rest. Do tou understand?”

Harry nodded.

“Very well. I shall inform you when a tutor has been selected for you for Potions and History of Magic. I will also inform you when I have gotten confirmation that your schedule change has been completed. In the meantime, it would benefit you to speak with either Miss Bulstrode or Mr. Zabini about reading to get you caught up in Ancient Runes. The 5th years have their health checks beginning two weeks from now. Madame Pomfrey will inform you when it is your turn. The day following your health check, we will meet to discuss its findings.” Snape lowered his head and Harry took this as a dismissal.

He left feeling very off kilter and confused, and wondered if _that_ was a prophecy for how the rest of this year would go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this is my last update for the foreseeable future, let me explain my changes!
> 
> -Harry's ambition is to help people, but he's tired of violence. He grew up surrounded by it all his life and I think he'd be a bit tired of it. Being the wizard version of a cop would only add to the violence in his life, and I think he'd be disillusioned by it.  
-Harry is also going to be mentally ill. He's an abuse survivor who went through something traumatic at the ripe age of 14 years old. He was a freshman in high school and had to fight for his life. In canon, he shows traits of depression and PTSD and I plan on making them more explicit and talked about in this, hence the thing with Harry immediately reaching for his wand when he was startled.
> 
> -Also, I am aware that the potential career talk didn't happen until 5th year but it made no sense to me for it to be in 5th year if the OWLs they got in their 5th year impacted the classes they could take at the NEWT level, so I changed it
> 
> -A lot of Runes, what we call "Old Futhrak" (the writing for proto-Norse) exist as protective inscriptions and the like. I figured protective magic and healing would go hand in hand, hence why Harry needs Ancient Runes.
> 
> -Something I'm gonna include is Celtic Paganism beliefs and traditions! For example, British and Irish wizards believe they're descended from fae! In Irish Celtic folklore, changelings (fae children who were abandoned by fae when the fae took human children) had the gift of magic, and this was passed onto their children. Additionally, some legends say that humans blessed by fae had been given the gift of magic. They believe that any and every British and Irish wizard is related to a changeling OR a human who was blessed by fae (Muggleborns)
> 
> -The annual health check was added by the Ministry because they were hoping that they could gain access to Harry's files and find something they could use to imply that Harry isn't stable and therefore lying about Voldemort for attention.  
-I know that a health check was a thing in Unexpected Consequences, which I said inspired this work. I'm stating this to explain why I have the health checks in this story. The interviews were a thing that was canon but I decided to take liberty with them. I'm stating this to make it clear that the interviews Snape conduct is not lifted from Unexpected Consequences. I want to stress that while elements of my story may resemble the work that inspired it, the inspiration I took was the resorting aspect. I want to stress that this story has its own plot and will follow it accordingly. That being said, the interviews and health screening should be the end of the similarities between this story and UC. I'm stating this preemptively because I know someone will get the wrong idea and try to accuse me of plagiarism. This is not the case.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait with this chapter :/ My laptop had broken and it took a while for me to get a replacement. Not sure how I like this chapter, so I may do some heavy tweaking to it later but I wanted to get this uploaded for y'all.

Harry was lost in thought as he made his way to the Slytherin common room. He barely registered saying the password to the wall. He chewed his lip, considering carefully how to proceed. His health check wasn’t for another two weeks, but he desperately needed to know how in depth the check would go. Harry knew he’d have to come up with some reason to explain away his malnutrition otherwise. He wasn’t an idiot- he had seen pictures of his parents, and he knew from the sheer size of Vernon and Dudley, not to mention how tall Petunia was, that he was shorter and smaller than many people expected. His height was easy to explain away- genetics. He got the recessive genes for being short in his family. It happened, he knew. However, his weight would be another problem. No matter how hard he tried to bulk up before summers came, he just never seemed to gain much weight. Not to mention that Harry’s malnutrition was sure to go back years and years. That, in combination with the plethora of scars he was sure to have, along with any incorrectly healed bones, would be hard to explain if the check went more than “Student has no current allergies or illnesses”.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Parkinson had mentioned there were hidden places to study in the common room. Perhaps, then, there’d be a library hidden somewhere too? It wouldn’t be good to go researching in the Hogwarts library, where someone could see him and get suspicious and ask questions. And even though he wanted to be a Healer, Harry thought it would perhaps be a bit questionable as to why he was suddenly reading books about how Healers conducted health exams. Harry also knew he couldn’t ask Madame Pomfrey, lest he rouse her suspicions either. The mediwitch had always known when he was trying to evade her hospital wing and would surely see right through him. 

Which is how Harry found himself in his current situation: sitting in the Slytherin common room, observing. He sat pretending to do his homework, while watching the upper years. He figured if these rooms did exist, then eventually someone would go to one and he could watch what they did. However, it seemed Harry wasn’t as subtle as he should have been, because Draco Malfoy sat down next to him.

“Studying the common room, or doing your homework?” he asked, voice neutral.

“What gave me away?” Harry sighed. No one in Gryffindor could tell when he was staring.

“We’ve had classes together since we were 11. Unfortunately, I know how you write when you’re focused. Not to mention, your work is clearly finished.” He gestured to the scratch paper Harry had merely scribbled on. “Why are you watching everyone?”

Harry hesitated, not wanting to tell the truth, before deciding on an edited version of it; he had, after all, chosen this particular spot for a reason. “Being in the open like this makes me nervous. I feel like I’m about to be attacked again, and I can’t explain why. It’s like my Spidey Senses are tingling, but there’s no one around. I can’t focus here to study, even though I want to.” It was true; ever since the graveyard, Harry hadn’t liked to be open. He liked to be able to see everyone in the room and what they all were doing. His skin crawled, otherwise. 

“Your… what?” Malfoy raised an eyebrow, looking confused. Harry smiled slightly at his confusion.

“Spidey senses. There’s a Muggle superhero, Spiderman. Whenever he’s in danger, his spider senses tingle. They’re called his spidey senses,” he explained. Harry was aware that Malfoy was confused, but he paid it no mind. “Anyway, that’s why I’m watching. This room is smaller than the Library, so it feels safer, but. I don’t know.” Harry sighed, and stood up. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, Malfoy. It’s a me th-”

“So you aren’t worried some Slytherin is going to curse you?”

“What?” Harry was startled into sitting back down. 

“You said the library didn’t feel safe, either. So it’s not a Slytherin thing?” Malfoy’s eyes seemed to darken, but Harry couldn’t understand his concern. Harry shook his head, and he knew his eyes were darting around the room, looking for escape routes, tracking movements, but he couldn’t help it. It felt reassuring. “Harry, did someone in another House attack you?”

“What? No! Why would you think that?” Harry reacted as if he’d been burned.

“You’re acting like the younger years after some older kid hexes them. But, then, why are you acting like this? What’s got you so worried? Did someone threaten you? Potter, I’m your prefect, you’re suppos-”

Harry cut him off mid lecture. “This happened after June.” He saw the moment that Malfoy understood, because his eyes lit in a bizarre mixture of understanding and confusion. Harry glanced away suddenly unable to stand looking at Malfoy, and saw a door in between two bookcases near the study alcove Harry currently was at. Without saying a word to Malfoy, he gathered his things and darted through the door. He slammed the door shut, and pressed his back against it, eyes shut, and heart thudding. For some reason, Harry had felt threatened. After taking a moment to collect himself, he turned to lock the door, but the door was gone. Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment, before realizing he must have found one of the rooms Parkinson had mentioned the day before. Harry turned back around to survey the room. It was about as large as the common room, but the walls were lined with books. Harry approached the walk, and scanned the titles.

_ A Comprehensive Guide To Healing Magic _ , _ 101 Healing Spells Every Aspiring Healer Should Know _ , _ Old Futhark Runes And How They Pertain To Healing _ amongst other titles. Harry felt a smile pull at his lips. He'd be fine.

Harry emerged some time later. He truthfully wasn't sure how long he spent, cooped up in the secret room he had found. He sat in a chair, reading until his eyes burned with the effort of keeping them open and until his hand cramped from taking notes. He was reluctant to leave, but figured it was high time he get some sleep and so he bookmarked his page, grabbed the remaining books he wanted to read and put them in his bag with the rest of his things, and exited the room through the door that had reappeared.

To say that Harry was unprepared for the scene that awaited him was an understatement.

All of his new yearmates were sat on the floor, facing the wall where the door had been located. Greengrass, Davis and Malfoy were all awake, but it seemed the others were asleep. The three who were awake hadn't yet noticed him- hadn't heard the door opening. Harry considered his options. He had his invisibility cloak, having gotten into the habit of carrying it everywhere with him when he was 13. He could swing it on and sneak past them. Or, he could retreat back into the room and wait it out longer. Before Harry could make up his mind, Malfoy glanced his way.

"_Finally_! Merlin, I thought you would never leave." The rest of the year stirred awake at Malfoy's words and stood. Harry suddenly felt trapped, and he took a quick step back, hand flying to the door handle behind him. 

"Potter, don't go back in there!" Zabini said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "We want to talk, that's all." Zabini's voice had a soothing quality to it, as if he was speaking to an injured animal about to lash out. Harry glared at him, before turning his glare on the rest of them.

"Back up." Harry wanted to snarl, or sound threatening but even to his own ears, he sounded panicked and afraid.

"We aren't going to hurt you, Potter," Malfoy and Parkinson both stepped farther forward. "It's okay." Harry glanced around, desperately trying to find an escape route. He felt cornered, and his mind kept dragging him back to the graveyard, with Death Eaters closing in on him. Fear gripped his throat and he grabbed his cloak from his bag and swung it on and darted at a sharp angle to the left, away from the alcove and towards the main area of the common room. He heard their confused shouts, and watched as the rest of the common room (all of whom looked tired, and were in their pjs- was it after dinner?) turned to look. Harry, however, used the confusion and his yearmates distraction to slip into the dorms.

The instant the door shut behind him, Harry felt some of the tension bleed out of him and he dived for his bed and tugged the curtains shut. Harry had noticed the other boys had kept their curtains shut when they left the dorms for the day, and Harry prayed that if they came into the dorm to look for him, that they would not check his bed. Even if they did, he rationed, he was still under his cloak and therefore wouldn't be seen. 

Harry focused on his breathing, taking slow deep breaths to control it. He had no doubt the rest of the 5th years had gathered outside the door to discuss what he had told Malfoy and he berated himself for even mentioning that night in June to _ Malfoy _ of all people. For mentioning a weakness that most certainly would be exploited and used against him. Just as he began to calm down, the door opened.

"-see where else he could be." That sounded like Nott's voice.

"Please, with that cloak of his, he could be anywhere. Why would he come in here?" That was Zabini.

"Why wouldn't he? Where else would he go? To the Great Hall? It's after curfew and just because that cat can't see him doesn't mean it can't smell him. No, it would be safest for him to have stayed in the dungeons." 

"Hey. Didn't Potter leave his curtains shut?" Harry held his breath and stayed as still as he could as footsteps approached his bed. Neither boy yanked the curtains back. There was, however, a sharp yelp. "I can't grab the curtains." Zabini sounded confused.

"I think… I think Potter warded his bed." Nott sounded impressed. "But that confirms he's in there. He clearly felt threatened by all of us. Why else ward it?"

"I'm not coming out!" Harry raised his voice before either boy could ask. "Go away!" 

"Potter, we just want to talk," Zabini's voice took on that soothing quality again. Harry heard the door open and shut.

"There's nothing to talk about!"

"Oh, I'd say there is," drawled Malfoy and more footsteps approached the bed.

"Don't, he's-" a startled yelp cut Nott off. "-warded his bed…"

"Potter, the fact you felt the need to ward your bed means there's plenty we need to discuss." Zabini spoke again, his voice still keeping that soothing quality.

"Why?"

"Why? Potter, you told me you felt unsafe in the common room, then retreated into a room that only you could access and then when we waited to talk to you about it, you ran and hid!" Malfoy sounded aggravated.

"It's none of your business, Malfoy." A long sigh followed.

"Draco, if it's anything serious, Pomfrey will find out about it during his health exam. If anyone attacked him, we'll know then. But cornering him like this, and getting aggressive is not going to help him. It doesn't help the younger years and it won't help now." That was Zabini.

"I agree with Blaise. We can't force him to tell us, and us trying is making him defensive." Silence followed.

"Very well. Potter. We're going to drop the subject. Will you come out?" Harry considered Malfoy's question.

"Back away from my bed." Footsteps followed, and the remaining tension bled out of Harry. He pulled his cloak off and tugged open the curtains. Nott, Zabini and Malfoy all stood a few feet away from his bed, and Harry could tell they were all trying very hard to appear nonthreatening. Harry glanced at them and then cast a quick _ Tempus _to check the time, and was surprised to see that dinner had ended some time ago. He had completely read through it. He risked a glance at Malfoy before-

"Dobby?" Harry said, softly. There was a sharp _ crack _ and Dobby appeared on Harry's bed.

"Harry is calling for Dobby! What can Dobby be doing for Mister Harry Potter?" Harry heard Malfoy sputter behind him, but it seemed as if Dobby was determined to ignore the blonde, so he would as well.

"I skipped dinner on accident, I was busy. Would you mind bringing me some fruit, please, Dobby?" Dobby nodded, his bat ears flapping around.

"Dobby is always happy to be serving Harry Potter!" He disappeared and then reappeared, with a platter of fruit and a glass full of pumpkin juice.

Harry smiled at the little elf. "Thank you, Dobby." The elf beamed back at him, and bowed before disappearing with another sharp _ crack _. He waited for the other boys to ask about either his behavior or Dobby, but they never did and Harry never offered an explanation.

Classes began a few days later, and it seemed The Incident (as Harry had taken to calling it) was forgotten. Harry had been approached by Warrington the day before classes started to inform him that he would be escorting the first year students to transfiguration, as it was on the first floor and near the exit people took to get to the greenhouses. He was also informed he'd be doing this with Zabini and Greengrass. 

They had just dropped the first years off when it happened.

"Potter!" Harry's heart clenched as he recognized Seamus' voice. To any casual observer, he might have sounded friendly but to Harry, who roomed with him for years- He was furious. His accent was pronounced and thick, and he sounded far quieter than normal. 

"Seamus," he acknowledged. They were stood in the hall, just near the transfiguration classroom. The Irish boy didn't say anything, just stared at the Slytherins. "Did you want something?" Harry's voice was light, but his hand drifted to his wand- a movement he knew that Zabini and Greengrass caught, because they went from relaxed to tense and defensive.

"Watch yourself. Slytherin has a way of messing with people." With that, he turned and stalked towards the staircase that lead to the 3rd floor. Harry watched him leave, his heart heavy. Refusing to acknowledge Zabini or Greengrass, he turned on his heel and stalked away. It stung, having a friend treat him like that, but a few things brought comfort to him. Seamus had been alone, and it wasn't Ron who confronted him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know if you like this chapter. i couldn't figure out how to convey what i wanted.
> 
> anyway, as i mentioned previously. harry is mentally ill- in this, he suffers from ptsd, depression and anxiety (which will show up later). i wanted this to be a central theme in this, as it is something harry must work through to achieve his goals ("be great") and the hat truly believes slytherin will help him do so.
> 
> harry's symptoms will be based off of my own, and some of these scenes pertaining to his mental health will be based on things that have happened to me, just for added reality, i think.
> 
> also, i want to stress, if it feels like the boys dont get what's wrong with harry in this chapter (him saying his issues began in june but then assuming its because someone attacked him recently), it's because ive always assumed the wizarding world would be a bit behind the muggle world, in terms of mental health. they dont quite understand why something that happened months ago would be affecting him still, so they assume hes lying to them to get out of... something. idk how well this came across in the chapter, which is one of the reasons why i want to tweak it so bad.
> 
> anyway. thanks for sticking with me! hope y'all enjoy it and stick with me some more


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning in this chapter for child abuse in this chapter; not by Vernon but by Umbridge. It's featured pretty heavily in this chapter, so I can't give you a "skip to" point. If that's triggering for you, then all you need to know is that Harry has detention with Umbridge, and Malfoy finds out about it after being lied to about. The fallout of this will be in the next chapter.

The following morning, Hedwig returned with a letter. Harry fed her a couple of pieces of bacon and she hooted at him, nibbling his fingers in affection as he read the letter.

_ Harry, _

_ I had heard about those reforms. A friend told me about them. I think the idea has some merit; people are always changing and growing, but I find the timing suspicious. Molly’s informed me that Umbridge is working there now- keep your head down around her, pup. She’s responsible for a lot of anti-werewolf legislation. She’s a vile piece of work. _

_ As for the rest of your letter… _

_ You recall my brother, Regulus, pup? He was a Slytherin. And he was perhaps one of the few family members I had who I loved. I don’t always understand Slytherins, and the things they do, but Harry, I will always care about you.  _

_ There isn’t anything you could do or be that would make me care any less about you, pup.  _

_ I love you. _

_ Snuffles. _

_ P.S. You don’t have to tell your owl to peck me. I will always reply to you, pup. _

Harry reread the letter a few times. It was short and to the point, but it made him warm to read. He could feel tears burn his eyes but he refused to let them fall. Instead, he folded the letter back up and shoved it into his backpack as Hedwig flew off for the Owlery. Breakfast wound down and he found himself walking to Care with Hermione and Neville, with the Slytherin shadows behind them a few paces away.

“Hey, ‘Mia, Nev, you both had Defense already, right?” he asked, curious.

“That class is a joke,” came Hermione’s snort, while Neville merely nodded in agreement. “She said we wouldn’t be doing any practicals or anything of the sort for the whole year- just the theory. And then she gave Ron a week’s worth of detention for saying what a waste that was.” She shook her head.

“He got a week of detentions? Doing what?” While neither were strangers to detention, it was unusual for them to last so long.

“He said Umbridge had him doing lines, so I suppose it could be worse. Do you remember first year?” Neville answered.

“The Forbidden Forest with Malfoy? Yeah, I do,” Harry shuddered. That night was a frequent nightmare when he was younger.

“Make sure you keep your head down, Harry. You said a toad was at your hearing, right? It was her, wasn’t it? You have to be careful in her class.” Hermione had grabbed his arm suddenly and she looked at him with pleading eyes. “She’s going to make you mad, I know it. Please be careful.”

“I will, ‘Mione, I promise.”

They had finally made it to Hagrid’s hut, and Harry spotted Ron, who had a bandage wrapped around one hand and he desperately wanted to ask what happened to his friend, but given the way the red head was ignoring the trio, he suspected the gesture wouldn’t be appreciated. It was with a sinking heart that he made that realization.

Harry should have suspected that perhaps, DADA would not go very well, given how the rest of the year had gone so far. It had started when they entered the room. Some Hufflepuffs looked at him warily, and that had stung more than Harry had wanted to admit, partly because he wasn’t sure if they were looking at him because he was resorted, or if it was because they believed the Prophet. Ignoring them to the best of his ability, he took a seat at the back of the room, so that way if he angled himself just right, he could see the door and everyone in the classroom. Zabini slid into the seat next to him. The Toad entered when the bell rang.

“Good morning, class!” She chimed. No one answered her, aside from a few Hufflepuffs who looked like they’d rather not have a good morning. She laughed, but it sounded off. A sound of scorn, rather than amusement. “When I say good morning, I expect you all to answer back with ‘Good morning, Professor!’ Now, let’s try that again. Good morning!”

“Good morning, Professor!” they chanted back. She smiled at them, but it didn’t reach her eyes. It reminded Harry of when Vernon smiled at Harry in public. It was a smile that promised suffering later. Harry shifted in his seat, hand drifting to his wand.

“Excellent! Now then, wands away! You won’t be needing them in this class. Please pull out your textbook and take notes over the first chapter! Be sure to include any questions you may have, as the next lesson will be a discussion over the chapter!” Harry complied, but he watched as other people’s hands shot up. “Yes, Miss-?”

“Bones, ma’am. Are we not going to be practicing any defensive magic in class this year?” Susan asked. Harry wanted to laugh at her asking. He knew Madame Bones, the head of the DMLE, would have lots to say on her niece not learning any defensive magic.

“That’s correct, Miss Bones. Theory is heavily tied into the application of all magic, you see. With sufficient understanding, you will be able to perform any spell you wish to cast.” Her voice was syrupy sweet, in a way that it had not been previously. She suddenly looked tense. Harry understood why immediately. She knew who Susan was, and who she was related to. Umbridge turned her attention to Nott this time.

“Yes, Mr.-?”

“Nott, Professor. Theodore Nott. I was just wondering, has the Defense OWL changed to be theory only?”

“It has not, Mr. Nott, however,” Umbridge’s face twisted into a sneer as she spoke to Nott, “As I told Miss Bones, if you understand the theory, you will be able to perform any magic you desire. After all, you are all children. Why would you ever need to be able to use defensive magic? Are you all expecting Sirius Black to break in again? No one would attack children,” she tittered, laughing as if she just told an incredibly funny joke. Harry caught sight of Susan, who looked stormy.

_ Sirius might not attack children, _ he thought,  _ but Umbridge sure would _ . Harry turned his attention to his notebook and pulled a pen out of his bag, however, before he could even begin to read, Umbridge called on him.

“Mr. Potter.” He looked up at her.

“Yes, ma’am?” 

“What are you using?”

“Pardon?” He asked, confused.

“Where is your parchment and quill?”

“Ah, I use muggle stationary for personal use. I use parchment and quills for homework and essays, ma’am.”

She gave him a nasty look. “Week’s detention, Mr. Potter, for being insufficiently prepared for class. You are expected to use parchment and quills in this class.” Harry stiffened, freezing. Detention? For a week? “You are a wizard. I will not have you distracting the rest of my students because you feel the need for attention. Borrow a quill and parchment from a classmate, Mr. Potter.” Harry wanted to glare, but she was so reminiscent of Vernon that he merely nodded, uttering a soft sound of compliance as he packed his things up. Zabini handed him the things he needed before he could even ask for them. After that, the rest of class passed quietly. 

Before Harry could leave for lunch when the bell rang, Umbridge held him back and dismissed the rest of the Slytherins. 

“Your detention will begin at 7 PM, sharp, Mr. Potter. Do be sure to bring parchment.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured before fleeing the classroom. 

Harry saw the rest of the Slytherins waiting for him. He paused, he wasn’t feeling terribly hungry. He fell back a bit, and tugged his cloak out of his bag but before he could swing it on to make an escape, Davis looked back at him.

“Where are you going?” Her voice was soft, but it still carried, and it caught the attention of everyone else.

“Common room. I’m not hungry. I wanted to go back and read.” Davis was shaking her head before he even finished.

“Professor Snape doesn’t like it when we skip meals. You missed dinner last night, he’ll be watching you especially close today. Come on.” Harry groaned softly, but shoved his cloak back anyway.

The rest of the day passed in a blur and before Harry knew it, it was nearly time for his detention. Zabini escorted him and told him that Malfoy or Parkinson would escort him back, as they were patrolling that night. Harry nodded his acknowledgment, and wished Zabini a good night. The taller boy looked a little surprised, though, Harry supposed it was because he had been pretty silent, ever since DADA that morning. 

He knocked on the door to Umbridge's office, and entered when instructed to. He took a moment to collect himself when he did. The whole room was a garish pink. It was a bizarre color; while it was a muted gray-pink it somehow felt just as much as an eyesore as a bright neon color. The walls were decorated with fine china, all of which depicted a cat on them. That, and between her whole attempt to seem sweet, and her tendency for wearing pink dresses and overly large bows, gave Harry the impression that she was not someone to be left around children although he couldn't pinpoint why.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. Thank you for being punctual. You are going to be writing lines for me this evening, Mr. Potter." He nodded, unwilling to say anything that may set her off. Harry took his seat, and pulled out several sheets of parchment, along with his quill and inkwell. "Oh, you won't be needing your quill. You're going to be using a rather special one of mine." She handed him a nondescript, sleek, crow's feather quill. 

"You haven't given me any ink, ma'am."

"You won't be needing any."

"What shall I write?" 

Umbridge's expression was ugly. Her face was twisted with glee and disgust, and seeing it made Harry's stomach flip as he squashed down the urge to flinch back. She reminded him so much of Vernon that his ribs ached simply by looking at her. "You are going to write  _ I Am Not Important _ ." She laughed softly, as though she had told the funniest joke imaginable.

"How many times?" Umbridge's face, if possible, turned even nastier.

"Until the message sinks in." 

Harry nodded, and set to work. However, it very quickly became apparent something was wrong, because a stinging pain shot through his hand. He watched as the skin split, as if he was dragging a scalpel over the skin, and words began to appear. He looked at the paper and realized the red ink was not, indeed, ink. He risked a glance at Umbridge, who seemed far too pleased with herself.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Potter?" 

"No, ma'am. Nothing is wrong at all." 

Harry resumed his writing, and although his hand throbbed with pain, and each line made the wound deeper, he refused to react to it and give her the satisfaction. He didn't react to Vernon, and he wasn't going to react to her either.

She finally allowed him to stop 10 minutes after curfew. She examined his hand before he left, and then tutted as if disappointed.

"It seems it hasn't sunk in yet. I will see you here, the same time tomorrow." Harry nodded and gave her a mumbled response and left. Malfoy was lounging against the wall across from her office door.

"How was the detention?" Gray eyes skimmed him up and down, looking for a hair out of place. Harry was very careful to not fidget or move his hand at all.

"Fine. I was doing lines." Malfoy raised an eyebrow but he didn't comment as they headed back to the common room in silence.

Harry sat on his bed, with the curtains drawn and for the first time in a while, he felt like he was 11 years old again, and he wanted Ron's company so badly that it left an ache in his chest. The only thing he could think as he drifted off to sleep was that Malfoy had been correct when he said Harry's tendency to attract danger would make for an interesting year.

More time flew by, and before Harry knew it, it was the last day of his detention with Umbridge and it also happened to be the day that everything fell apart. Harry had taken extra care to soak his hand in some murtlap and essence of dittany that he had gotten from Dobby, who was under strict orders to not talk about what he saw at all. Although Dobby was under employ for Hogwarts, he would do anything Harry asked him to and so he wasn't concerned about that. However, the issue was soon apparent. It was Malfoy's turn to pick him up from his detention and the longer Harry had spent writing, the longer it had bled. The day before, he had shoved his hands into his pockets under his robes but today all his jeans were being washed, and so he was left with his uniform dress slacks that had no pockets. The last thing Harry needed was for the blood to drip off his hands and alert Malfoy. He spent the entire walk from the first floor to the ground floor to the basement to the dungeons discreetly wiping the blood off his hand onto the sleeve of his robe. Malfoy began to slow as they reached the entrance to the dungeon, intending to drop Harry off and continue his rounds which put him firmly behind Harry. Harry could feel himself tense up. He had needed to wipe his hand as they descended each floor, but now Malfoy would most certainly see Harry wiping his hand and would prod him about it. Harry hoped against hope that he could make it at least until he entered the common room.

In the end, he was 2 steps away from the wall when it happened.

_ Drip _ .

An innocent sound that echoed throughout the silent stone halls.

"Did you hear that?" Malfoy asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Hear what?" Harry's heart was pounding. He needed to get into the common room,  _ now _ .

_ Drip. Drip.  _

"That! Something's dripping."

"I don't hear anything. Maybe you'll find out when you patrol?" Malfoy however, wasn't meeting his eyes. Harry's heart sank when he followed Malfoy's gaze and saw it locked onto his left hand.

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

"Harry, what happened to your hand?" Malfoy's voice was very carefully controlled, and was deliberately even.

"I reopened an old wound," Harry responded slowly. It wasn't a lie, not technically.

"Why haven't you seen Pomfrey about it? She'll heal it in a second." Harry felt his hackles raise. What answer was Malfoy expecting? The truth of the matter was, blood quills were a dark object and so Pomfrey  _ couldn't  _ heal it, and it would be useless to go because it would raise attention and there wasn't anything that could be done, because Umbridge was Fudge approved.

"It's not important."

Harry knew as soon as he said it that it was the wrong thing to say, because he winced when he said important and Malfoy caught it. Before Harry could react, Malfoy lunged forward and grabbed Harry's hand and yanked it towards him.

_ I Am Not Important  _ stared at Malfoy, written in Harry's own handwriting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 points to anyone who figures out why i made the blood quill be made out of crow feathers.
> 
> im temporarily unemployed so a few chapters will be pumped out faster! ill let yall know when that will change.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on a ROLL. Couple chapters ago, I said I was unemployed. I got a new job! I start Friday, so chapters will slow down pretty soon. They shouldn't take AS LONG as they did before, however because I won't be working 10 hours a day anymore. Anyway! Here is the chapter! Explanations for the elder futhark runes I used will be at the end!

"What happened?" Malfoy's voice was calm and controlled, but the boy himself was anything but. He was shaking ever so slightly, and his breathing was ragged. It was very clear he was furious and just barely keeping it together.

"It's not-"

"Potter, if you tell me this isn't a big deal, or it's not important then so help me." Harry squirmed a bit, uncomfortable. 

"Why do you care?" Currently, Harry felt as though he had whiplash. Malfoy hated him. Malfoy did not get angry because Harry Potter was hurt. 

"Because I am your  _ prefect _ it is my  _ job _ to make sure you don't end up in situations like this. What. Happened." Malfoy's eyes narrowed, as though daring the shorter boy to lie.

"I had detention with Umbridge. She had me write lines," Harry answered dully. He wouldn't meet Malfoy's gaze as he sputtered.

" _ Umbridge  _ did this?" he demanded. At the hesitant nod in response, Malfoy tightened his grip on Harry's wrist and dragged him down the hallway in the direction of Professor Snape's office.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" 

"Absolutely not," Malfoy snarled. "Professor Snape needs to know."

"Malfoy, it's nothing!"

"Nothing? It's nothing?  _ She had you carve into your own hand _ , do not tell me that is 'nothing', Potter, or so help me."

They arrived to Snape's office shortly thereafter, and Malfoy knocked on the door. It was a very irritated Snape who opened the door a few moments later. The instant he saw Malfoy, who still had his tight grip on Harry's wrist, he frowned and gestured them both inside.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter. What brings you to my office so late at night?"

"Professor, is corporal punishment allowed on students?" Professor Snape's face hardened immediately. His gaze flickered to Harry and back to Malfoy before answering.

"It is not." 

Wordlessly, Malfoy shoved Harry's hand at Snape, whose face hardened even more.

"Mr. Potter. What happened?"

Harry resisted the urge to fidget and squirm as he answered. "Professor Umbridge assigned me a detention for being 'unprepared' for class. She said my muggle stationary wasn't acceptable for note taking and gave me a week's detention writing lines."

Professor Snape's voice turned deadly soft and Harry could not mask his flinch. "I asked what happened, I did not ask for a deflection. How did you come by these injuries if Professor Umbridge had you writing lines?"

Harry shifted his weight, uncomfortable. "She gave me a quill. It was made out of a crow feather," Both Snape and Malfoy sucked in air sharply, "and when I wrote with it… it… the words just... The quill..." Harry stammered, trying to figure out what to say.

"The words carved into your hand?" Professor Snape finished. Harry nodded. "If this detention went on for a week, why did you not come to me after the first day, Mr. Potter?" 

"Well. I- I know that… blood magic is a dark magic and so I figured any object that caused… this… was dark and so the wounds couldn't be healed. Umbridge was at my hearing, and so I knew she was sent here by Fudge. So anything she does is Fudge approved and I'm not-" Harry cut himself off, not wanting to finish his statement.

"Not what?" Professor Snape prompted.

"I'm not trying to cause problems," Harry breathed, eyes locked onto the floor. "There isn't anything that can be done."

"There is always something that can be done. Mr. Malfoy, have Mr. Potter take a seat." With that, Snape turned on his heel and stalked out before returning a few moments later with a bowl filled with murtlap and essence of dittany. "Soak your hand in this, Potter," he instructed. Eager to relieve himself of some of the pain he complied, letting out a soft hiss of pain as he did so. Malfoy was watching him carefully.

"Potter, earlier in the week. Didn't the mu- Didn't Granger tell you that Weasley had also had detention from her, writing lines?" She had, but Harry had taken care of that. He had instructed Dobby to leave Ron a bowl of dittany and murtlap just like he did for Harry. Instead of verbally replying, he just nodded. "Do you think she did this to him as well, then?"

"I know she did." Gray eyes narrowed at him.

"How? I haven't seen you and Weasley talk much since the Sorting." Harry shifted.

"I asked Dobby to keep an eye on him. I told him to leave Ron dittany and murtlap if it was needed. Dobby told me it was."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Ron isn't speaking to me, at the moment. He wouldn't appreciate if I went and told a professor about what happened, especially if we hadn't discussed it beforehand." Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure his mother will be thrilled to hear a teacher has been torturing her son and that his best friend knew about it and did nothing. Honestly, Potter, what sort of-"

"Enough." Snape's voice cut Malfoy off. The Potion Master's eyes tracked Harry, who curled in on himself the more Malfoy spoke.

"I didn't think anyone would believe me if I told them," Harry admitted softly. "No one ever really listens to me." His gaze was still locked onto the floor, so he missed the appraising and thoughtful looks both Malfoy and Snape sent him.

"Sir, you can't just let her get away with this." Harry's head snapped up as Malfoy turned his attention to Professor Snape.

"What can he do? Fudge sent her here. He isn't going to remove her, especially over  _ me _ !" Harry protested. "It's only going to cause more problems!"

"Mr. Potter, you underestimate how much Fudge cares about his reputation. If word got out to anyone with authority in the Ministry, say, the head of a department, for example, Fudge would be forced to act." Harry gave a disbelieving snort. "Do you disagree?"

"Yeah, I do. Fudge may care about his reputation, but there  _ is _ a smear campaign against me going on. My word means nothing right now." Snape arched an eyebrow.

"Then perhaps, more evidence is needed. Mr. Malfoy, please escort Mr. Potter back to your dorms please. I will handle the matter and inform you both when a plan has been set. In the meantime, do warn your Housemates." 

Harry flopped onto his bed, burying his face into the pillows. He inhaled slowly and then exhaled just as slowly. He felt so tired. Snape and Malfoy finding out about those stupid detentions was bad enough, but the fact that the rest of the Slytherins would know by day's end tomorrow was just as bad. Before falling asleep, Harry resolved to avoid the Slytherins as much as he could tomorrow, which meant he had to confront Ron.

In the end, said confrontation was easier than expected because Ron approached him at breakfast.

"Harry?" The boy in question whipped his head up and he took in the sight of his first friend. Ron was at breakfast earlier than normal, and he looked sheepish. "Can we talk?" Harry was quick to scramble out of his seat.

"Yeah! Yeah of course we can." Harry followed Ron out of the Great Hall, and into an abandoned classroom where Fred and George were also sitting.

"If it isn't our-"

"Favorite little snake!" Harry grinned at them both.

"What are you both doing here?" He asked.

"Thanking you for taking care of our ickle Ronnikins for us." George responded. Harry blinked, confused.

"What?"

Fred scoffed, "Please, Harry, we all know that Dobby would only leave murtlap and essence of dittany if someone else told him to, but he only listens to you, really." Harry ducked his head, embarrassed at having been caught.

"That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about, Harry." Ron cut in. "Why'd you tell him to bring that stuff to me?" Harry shrugged.

"You're my friend," he answered honestly. Because he was. Even if Ronald Weasley could not get over Harry being in Slytherin, he would always consider the redhead a friend. Harry would always do his best to make sure Ron was safe and healthy.

"Even though I was-"

"A right git?" Fred cut him off.

"A prat?" George suggested.

"Acting like Percy?"

"An absolute bumbling band of baboons?" 

"A-"

"Yes, I get it!" Ron interjected. "Harry, mate- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ignored you when you got resorted. It just… shocked me. I'd grown up thinking that there wasn't a witch or wizard in Slytherin who didn't go bad but then you got sorted there and I was so confused. But- but you couldn't ever be Dark. That's not you. And so… I think if you're in Slytherin then maybe it can't be all that bad." Ron looked down and stared into Harry's eyes. "Can you forgive me?" Harry nodded, too choked up and relieved for words. Instead, he threw his arms around Ron and held him close. After a moment's hesitation, Ron hugged him back just as tightly. "I'm sorry, mate."

"It's okay," Harry reassured him. Because it was. It was okay now.

"Harry what's on your hand?" Harry stiffened and pulled back from Ron. 

"Nothing, Fred." The older boy didn't look convinced.

"It looks like-"

"Ron's hand." George finished. Ron paled.

"Harry?" he asked softly. "Is that how you knew to send Dobby with those things?" He nodded, slowly. The three Weasley brothers swore loudly.

"I'm fine, it's okay!"

"It's  _ not _ okay, Harry Potter!" Fred shot back.

"Honestly, my detentions are done and I know how to treat it. It's fine."

"What was your detention for?" Ron asked, voice soft. 

"Umbridge didn't like that I used muggle stationary for my notes. Said I was distracting the class with my attention seeking ways." Ron scowled.

"What a bloody hag." And Harry couldn't help it. It was such a Ron thing to say upon learning something happened to his friend, and he was so relieved to have Ron back that he erupted into laughter. There was a stunned moment of silence before the others joined in.

_ Yeah _ , Harry thought,  _ It's okay now. We're okay _ .

"Hey, Fred? George?" Harry ventured once they calmed down some. Both brothers looked at him, gesturing for him to continue. "How come you both were so fine with me being in Slytherin? No adjustment period?"

Wicked grins split their faces, eyes twinkling. "Excellent question!" George beamed.

"You see, we were hatstalls-" Fred began.

"The hat wasn't sure where to put us!" 

"It debated Slytherin for us both!"

"So it would be a bit hypocritical-"

"For us to not be fine with you!" Fred finished, grin bright. 

Harry began laughing again in earnest. "That would have been funny. Could you imagine Snape's face if you both did get put in Slytherin?" And just like that, the group dissolved into laughter once more.

Now that everything major had been worked out, Harry thought that evening, he had to focus on his health check which would be in 2 days. He had an idea in mind. One of the texts,  _ Old Futhark Runes And How They Pertain To Healing _ had talked about how all healing magic relied upon futhark runes to work properly. So, Harry reasoned, it was just a simple matter of disrupting that magic with those same runes, so that nothing would ping for Pomfrey that something was wrong. Unfortunately, Harry also knew there were certain things he couldn't hide, as Snape would likely be expecting them, such as the injury on his hand. But everything else should be good to go.

And so, Harry spent the last 2 days before his health checkup fervently planning everything out. The morning of, Harry woke up especially early and snuck into the bathroom with one of his muggle markers and he set to work. He very carefully set out to writing  _ perþ _ and  _ nauþiz _ across the worst of his scars. He then carefully wrote  _ jera _ surrounding those. He then repeated this process as best as he could over his chest in the hopes that it would help disguise just what sort of home situation he had.

By the time everything finished drying to the point where he could get dressed again, the other boys were beginning to stir. Harry's exam was set for just after breakfast that Saturday morning. Malfoy escorted him, and for a tense moment, he was worried that the pale boy would try to talk to him about his hand, but the walk was spent in silence.

"I'll wait out here for you. I'll walk you to the common room after." Harry nodded and mumbled a soft thanks as he entered the Hospital Wing.

Pomfrey spotted him and greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. I'm going to be conducting your health exam today. I'm going to cast two spells, neither will hurt. The first one will gather basic information- height, weight, and vitals. The second will check for past injuries that may have healed incorrectly and any current injuries and ailments. It will also check your eyesight. Do you have any questions?" 

"No, ma'am." 

"Alright. Your Head of House will also receive a copy of my findings and will discuss these with you. Your meeting with him is scheduled for as soon as I am finished here, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Harry wished she'd stop talking about it and just get on with it, so he could know if this plan  _ worked  _ already. She smiled warmly at him and then waved her wand in a pattern that vaguely resembled a  _ mannaz _ rune, and a sheet of parchment began to print information. She read it and tutted, and then waved her wand again. This time, the movement matched a reversed  _ uruz _ and this time, another piece of parchment appeared. Harry didn't want to get his hopes up, but the fact that only two pieces of paper appeared was a relief to him.

Pomfrey scanned this sheet of paper and blinked slowly before duplicating both pieces of parchment and sending a copy, presumably to Snape.

"Now then, Mr. Potter, I'd like to go over these results with you. First of all, your height and weight are both below what I would expect, knowing James and Lily. Your scans indicate that you have missed a growth spurt recently, due to poor nourishment over the summer. Can you explain this to me?" Harry wanted to weep in relief. He hadn't expected it to make him look the picture of health, but the fact it looked as if all his health problems began in the summer gave him a perfect out. He knew that the muggle world knew about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and he knew it could cause a lack of appetite.

"After… after this summer, I wasn't very hungry. I could go a couple of days with hardly eating," he admitted uncomfortably. It wasn't a lie, exactly, but it also wasn't the entire truth. Pomfrey nodded in understanding.

"I see. I do recall seeing you at mealtimes, so it's safe to assume this problem is lessening then, Mr. Potter?" Harry nodded. After Davis told him that Snape made note of who skipped meals, he had been sure to be at every meal, dutifully eating. "Very good. I am still going to prescribe nourishment potions for you, just to assist in your recovery. You must understand, you won't ever recover any growth spurts you have missed, so you will always be shorter than you should have been otherwise."

"I understand, Madame Pomfrey."

"Very good. Now then, another thing that troubles me is that you haven't received any vaccines, muggle or otherwise since your parents died."

"My aunt and uncle don't believe in vaccines. My cousin hasn't been vaccinated either." This was a huge lie. His aunt had almost obsessively gotten Dudley vaccinated, as her parents had died shortly after her wedding when they both suddenly caught the flu and she had since resolved that her son would not meet the same fate. Madame Pomfrey however, did not know that, and instead merely rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I have encountered a few muggleborns whose parents have similar opinions. It's of little concern. Once you get up to a healthy weight, we shall get you caught up on preventative potions. They shall work for both muggle and magical ailments. However, until your weight is closer to a healthier range and you have had your potions, your immune system will be compromised. All this means is that you may get sicker easier. If you find yourself even a bit unwell, I urge you to come see me immediately." Harry nodded. "Moving on, your past injuries are a tad concerning however I believe I can fill in the blanks from you having been in my hospital wing so much, and Professor Snape has informed me of your hand. Do be sure to discuss your past injuries with Professor Snape, as he will likely have concerns."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Finally, your eyesight. Your glasses are not up to your current prescription. When did you last get your eyes checked?"

Harry tried not to fidget. In truth, he never had. They were just a pair of reading glasses his aunt had found at a garage sale. "The summer I started Hogwarts. My aunt and uncle were always busy over the summer, so we kept forgetting to go." Pomfrey tutted.

"That is no matter, I can give you your current prescription and you can owl order new glasses."

"Thank you, ma'am," he smiled at her. She gave him an answering smile.

"It's no trouble, dear. Now then…" She waved her wand and another sheet of parchment appeared. "Here is your prescription. Make sure to owl order after your meeting with Professor Snape."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you again," he said as he hopped off the bed and left the hospital wing.

One down, one to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the runes i used in this chapter:
> 
> perþ: a sort of blocky C that means "luck"  
nauþiz: intersecting lines that means "hardship"  
jera: a symbol that resembles < and > interlocking. means "harvest", in this i have it meaning "may efforts result in harvest"  
mannaz: resembles a blocky figure 8 with legs; means "man" and in this it means moreso "body"   
reversed uruz: resembles a backwards, blocky N of sorts. reversed it means "illness/weakness"
> 
> that's it for this chapter! hope you all enjoyed it! thanks so much for all your kind comments, they mean a lot! i'm glad you're all enjoying my story 💜


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time around. It's short, sweet and to the point. This entire chapter contains implied/referenced child abuse, so there's no "skip to" I can give you. If that is a triggering topic, just know that Snape has figured it out and is taking steps to resolve the situation, much to Harry's anger.

When Harry exited the Hospital Wing, he was confused to see Professor Snape standing there. Malfoy didn't look any less confused, either.

"Mr. Potter. Come with me." Malfoy shot him an inquisitive and confused glance as he scrambled after the Potions Master.

"Sir? I thought my meeting with you wouldn't be until later," Harry said tentatively as they descended below the castle. Professor Snape's dark gaze flickered to him.

"Originally, it was. However… there was concerning information in your file that I wished to discuss with you immediately." Harry's stomach rolled. What had Professor Snape found concerning that Madame Pomfrey hadn't worried over? He hoped against hope that it was only whatever evidence of the basilisk had bitten him in his second year. Harry felt shaky, anxiety gnawing at him. The rest of the trip passed in silence.

They finally reached Professor Snape's office, and he gestured Harry into a chair opposite of his desk. Snape didn't sit until Harry did, which didn't help his anxiety any.

"Mr. Potter, there are a number of things I wish to discuss with you. First of all, I want to address your weight. According to Madame Pomfrey, the health scans indicated that your malnourishment began over the summer. After observing your eating habits, I find this unlikely. I am skeptical of the idea that a child of a healthy weight could rapidly lose weight to the point that they are dangerously malnourished over the course of 2 months." Harry shifted in his seat.

"Is there a question in that statement? Sir?" Harry snapped, trying his best to not sound defensive.

"There are a few injuries I also have questions about," Snape continued as if he didn't hear Harry. "There is record of several broken ribs. However, to my knowledge, you have sustained no Quidditch injuries that would justify 3 broken ribs. Is this an injury you sustained in your second year with the basilisk?" Harry's tongue felt heavy. He knew this was a trick question. The ribs have been broken during the summer in between his first and second year. If he said yes, then Snape would note that they were healed enough to not have been from the basilisk. If he said no, he'd have to justify having three broken ribs. "Mr. Potter this requires an answer."

"I don't recall," he swallowed.

"You don't recall?"

"No, sir."

"Then allow me to offer my own explanation. I believe that you, Harry Potter, are abused. I believe that you are deprived of food and are physically abused."

"I'm not," Harry felt as if his world was ending. He had worked so hard for so long to hide it. This couldn't be happening, not now.

"No? Then how do you explain this health report?"

"I've had an adventurous first four years of Hogwarts." Professor Snape arched an eyebrow.

"After your refusal to inform anyone of your detention, I find myself disinclined to believe you. In fact, I have a theory on why these results look the way they do." 

Harry raised his chin, defiant. "And what would that be?"

"You stated previously you desire to be a Healer or Mediwizard. I believe you used your knowledge of healing magic to alter these results."

Harry inhaled slowly and exhaled slowly, and clenched his fists. "Prove it." 

"Potter. I am trying to help you. Tell me the truth."

"The truth is that my aunt and uncle are very kind people and took me in and fed and clothed me."

Professor Snape's eyes hardened. "Do you live with your aunt Petunia?" Harry froze.

"How do you know that?" 

"I knew your aunt in her childhood. I also know she viciously hated anything vaguely magical. And you, Mr. Potter, are most certainly magical."

"People grow up."

"Indeed? Then perhaps I have a solution that will end this once and for all. Veritaserum would do the think, I should think." Harry stiffened, and Snape caught the movement.

"I don't think that's necessary."

"No? Then tell me the truth."

"Why would you care anyway?" he snarled back. He knew his anger was only confirming Snape's suspicions, and judging from the look on the bat's facex he knew it too. "So you can write a thank you letter? Gloat? What's in it for you?" Something in the professor's dark eyes flashed dangerously.

"As I said in my start of term speech, I take my duty as Head of House seriously, Potter."

Harry scowled, "What, so you only care now that I'm a Slytherin? It's not like you didn't already know!" 

Snape looked confused. "What are you talking about, Potter?"

"My Hogwarts letter! Dumbledore! Stop pretending! So  _ what _ if I faked those health scans? You clearly already know what's missing! I just can't figure out what you're playing at."

"Potter, stop speaking in riddles. What does your Hogwarts letter have to do with this?"

" _ To The Cupboard Under the Stairs _ ! Stop pretending! You clearly already know!" Shock and horror played over Snape's face and Harry froze, feeling his heart sink.

"The cupboard under the stairs?" Snape asked softly. "Was that your room?" Harry then realized that Professor Snape was not already privy to Harry's home life and that he had just made a grave mistake.

"I'm done talking," he whispered, tears welling in his eyes.

"Potter, given what you have told me today and with what this health exam indicates, I must inform the Headmaster and your… mutt… on these findings." Harry snorted.

"Dumbledore won't care." Snape sighed heavily.

"I know for children in your position, it may seem that way, but I assure you-"

"He knows. I asked him after the thing with Quirrell if I could stay here. He told me it was safer for me to stay with the Dursleys." Snape looked as if he had aged suddenly.

"Indeed. Then I shall inform Madame Bones and Black of what I have found."

"Don't tell Sirius. He's only going to get angry and he- he can't risk that right now."

"I have a duty to uphold here, Mr. Potter. Return to your dormitory now." Harry stood, feeling much older. "I will also inform Madame Pomfrey of what I have discovered and you will undergo a  _ full and unhindered  _ health exam within the week. After that, we will discuss more in detail what is to happen next."

"Yeah. Whatever." Harry grumbled, kicking at the ground as he stood up to leave. 

"Mr. Potter, for what it is worth- I am sorry you have endured so much so soon," Professor Snape said as Harry left his office.

Harry let the slamming door answer for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's so short! next chapter will be from snape's perspective and it and the following chapters should all be longer. next chapter might take longer for me to post because im having a harder time writing from snape's perspective.
> 
> also jic this is a point of confusion for any of you: pomfrey did take note of harry's broken ribs but the break was moreso a hairline fracture or a minuscule break rather than full on cracking; she therefore assumed it was from when he crashed the car into the whomping willow, because he and ron were banged up but neither had ever gone to see her. snape however, having been the ones to find them, knows that harry did not break his ribs in this incident, and harry knows it too. pomfrey, however, does not.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was up sooner than I thought. I dunno how happy I am with it though. This chapter is from Snape's point of view. I wanted to show Snape working out that Harry was lying and the steps being taken to get Harry out of his home situation. Warning in this chapter for child abuse/eating problems/weight talk. If any of that is a trigger for you, please skip to "In the end, the conversation went about..."
> 
> I'm excited for this chapter because this is where we see the beginnings of the "Albus Dumbledore Bashing" tag.

When Severus heard that the Ministry was mandating health exams for the students at Hogwarts, he had anticipated having more than a couple of students be abuse victims. It was not uncommon for them to end up in his House. Nearly all abuse victims went to either Slytherin or Hufflepuff, though some of them did go to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. He supposed it was because in order to survive, they had to be cunning and self preserving and it was not uncommon for them to be ambitious; to desire nothing more than to get out and make something of themselves so they could never be in the same situation again. Those who ended up in Hufflepuff tended to be very hardworking in a desire to escape their homes, and Hufflepuffs did protect each other with a ferocity that made most Snakes impressed. Which was high praise coming from the House that valued fraternity.

All that being said, Severus could not help but be shocked at the file in his hands. 

_ Harry James Potter _

_ Date of birth: 31st July, 1980. _

_ Height: 5'4 _

_ Weight: 103 pounds _

_ All vitals normal _

_ Current Ailments: _

_ -Beginning of bone weakening _

_ -Stunting and underweight _

_ -Compromised immune system _

_ -Risk of anemia _

_ -Curse scar _

_ Previous Injuries: _

_ -Magical exhaustion, sustained age 11 _

_ -Burns to hands, sustained age 11 _

_ -Hairline fractures in 3 ribs, sustained age 12 _

_ -Basilisk venom exposure, sustained age 12 _

_ -Puncture wound in arm, sustained age 12 _

_ -Minor concussion, sustained age 13 _

_ -Dementor exposure, sustained age 13 _

_ -Magical exhaustion, sustained age 13 _

_ -Bludgeoning to shoulder, sustained age 14 _

_ -Crucio exposure, sustained age 14 _

_ -Cut to arm, sustained age 14 _

_ -Magical exhaustion, sustained age 14 _

_ Current injuries: _

_ -Cut to hand, sustained age 15 _

Several things stood out to Severus. Poppy had included a note, explaining that Harry had told her the reason his weight is what it is was the result of trauma following the incident in June. She stated that rapid, dramatic and sudden weight loss would explain the symptoms Harry showed but Severus did not believe that for a second.

He had observed Potter during mealtimes. The child hardly ate more than a piece of toast for breakfast, half a sandwich and some fruit for lunch and whatever he ate for dinner was usually picked at more than it was eaten. On occasion, Severus had caught the boy eyeing his classmates' plates with something akin to longing and disgust.

She had also explained that she suspected Harry had broken his ribs when the Ford Angela crashed into the Whomping Willow during his second year, as they had shown up on her scans of him when the bones in his arm had been removed, and that this merely confirmed her suspicions. Severus again, doubted this. He had encountered the Potter boy immediately after said incident and had been the one to treat injuries sustained when the car crashed into the tree. Potter had not mentioned his ribs then.

His mind wandered to a few days prior.

_ "...anything she does is Fudge approved and I'm not-" The small boy cut himself off. _

_ "Not what?" Severus prompted.  _ What are you not wanting to do?  _ he had wondered. _

_ "I'm not trying to cause problems," Harry breathed, eyes locked onto the floor. "There isn't anything that can be done." _

And then there had been the troubling thing he said to Draco, when asked why he hadn't mentioned what happened to the youngest Weasley boy.

_ "I didn't think anyone would believe me if I told them. No one ever really listens to me." _

_ No _ , Severus thought, as he reflected upon his own childhood, one filled with an absent mother and a father who was quick to anger and who favored using a belt,  _ I don't suppose anyone listens to the quiet abused child, do they, Mr. Potter _ ? There was no doubt in Severus' mind why Harry's health exam looked the way it did.

However, he couldn't figure out just how the file was so thin. The type of abuse that would lead to this sort of physical trauma would be extensive and yet, all that showed up on paper was the evidence of the boy's misadventures while in school, save for his weight and some broken ribs that Potter had explained away, however inadvertently on his part. He leaned back in his chair and thought.

_ "I thought maybe… I could be a Healer or a Mediwizard?" _

Severus had to admit, he was impressed with the plan. It was cunning, and had Potter not confessed his desire to go into Healing, he may not have figured it out. The boy had used his knowledge of healing to alter the findings of the health exam.

In the end, the conversation went about as well as he had expected it to. He evaded in the beginning but when it was clear he had been found out, he lashed out in anger. There was, however, two things Severus did not expect. He did not expect to learn that Potter had been living with his aunt Petunia and whoever she married. Severus could only assume the man was as vile as she was. The other thing he did not expect was the fact that Dumbledore seemingly knew that Potter was abused, or at the very least neglected.

That complicated things a bit. Severus knew the old coot could be manipulative at the best of times, but he had assumed he genuinely cared for the boy. He was, after all, the one who always chastised Severus in how he viewed him. However, it seemed that Albus still believed in the blood wards and wanted Potter in his aunt's house, however, a thought struck him.

_ Did the blood wards even work anymore now that the Dark Lord had Potter's blood flowing through his veins? _

Before, the Dark Lord couldn't touch the Potter boy as evidenced by the fact that Quirrell couldn't be touched by him without disintegrating. Now, however, Potter had said that the Dark Lord  _ did _ touch him. He frowned. There were too many unknown variables here for Severus to leave Potter in a house that had caused so much damage. 

He pulled out two sheets of parchment and then grabbed a vial. He extracted the memory of the conversation and placed it in the vial and began to write the letters. One was to Madame Bones, who would investigate the child abuse claims. The other was to Black, who Severus knew needed to know about what had been uncovered. Suddenly, a thought struck him. Would Albus intercept and check the mail? Would  _ Umbridge _ do so? He could only imagine the carnage that would occur if Fudge got hold of the information before Amelia Bones conducted an investigation. The fire in his office was connected to the Floo, and he also knew Ministry officials were allowed to Floo to Hogwarts directly in case of emergency.

Mind made up, he cast a Patronus. The doe haunted him. 

"To Amelia Bones, to be delivered when she is alone: I have uncovered a case of child abuse, requiring your investigation. The information is too sensitive for a letter. I ask you to floo directly into my office as soon as you are able so that we may discuss this as soon as possible." The doe stood for a second longer before bounding away.

Madame Bones stepped through his fire a few minutes later. Her face was schooled into a calm professional mask, but he could see the fire in her eyes. She loathed whenever he wrote her about the children in his care because as many of them had family in powerful places, there was usually little to be done.

"I received your Patronus, Severus."

"Try to not look so grim. I dare say you will find this task more pleasant than normal, as you will be able to prosecute in this case." Something akin to a vengeful joy lit in her eyes.

"And just who is the victim? I assumed they were a child of someone in the Ministry with your message," she commented. Severus shook his head.

"Harry Potter. Here is a copy of his health exam, and  _ here _ is the memory of when I discussed this with him. In it, he confesses to tampering with his health exam to alter its findings and to being at the very least, terribly neglected. I would have sent a letter but there are… certain complications that made it too risky to owl you." Amelia's face was hard and stormy and Severus was struck by how much Susan looked like her aunt. "I also must ask you- send this letter for me," he said, handing her the envelope containing the letter for Black. "Tell the owl to take it to 'Snuffles' as… if Umbridge found out it's recipient, it would be unpleasant." Understanding lit in her eyes.

"Is it for Lupin? I know he is close to the Potter boy. Yes, I daresay the Prophet would have a field day if a werewolf was the first to be informed of his treatment."

"Quite," he agreed, although he didn't correct her on who the letter was for.

"However, Severus, if I am to prosecute this, I will need the full and complete health check." 

"I have another one scheduled for later in the week. I shall see to it that it is untampered."

"Contact me when you have his updated file, won't you?"

"Of course."

Amelia gave him a predatory grin. "Excellent. Let's get the bastards."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was it for this chapter! i have toyed around with the idea of having a companion piece to this. a multi-chapter fic from alternative points of views, explaining and showing things that go on behind the scenes (such as ron grappling with his prejudice against slytherins, fred and george's sorting, sirius' reaction to the letter he gets in this chapter, etc). i have had a few people express interest in that sort of thing, but if thats something you would like to read, let me know.
> 
> also, would any of you care to have just like, a sort of companion piece to this explaining my world building like whats done in the Well That Just Won't Do series, where the author explained how ghosts work in that fic or would y'all be fine with filler chapter where i go into my world building and headcanons a bit more? id love to expand upon it, but im not sure how i can fit it into this series, unless we change up the focus of this fic from being Harry Recovering From Trauma So He Can Be Healthy And Better Defeat Voldemort to a Harry Learns About The Wizarding World type fic. or lmk if yall dont care and would rather i discuss it in the comments with those interested, that's valid too!
> 
> anyway! that's it for rn! thank you so much for reading and i hope you all enjoyed it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is mentions of abuse in this chapter. If that bothers you, skip "Harry are you alright..." to "Before anyone could say anything..."

Harry did not leave his bed for the rest of the weekend. His health exam had been on a Saturday and he did not reemerge, no matter how much his dorm mates tried to convince him, until Monday. Harry knew that everyone must be beside themselves, and terribly confused but he couldn't muster the strength to care about anything aside from his own emotions, which was a large enough storm. He couldn't begin to process how to handle everyone else's.

Harry walked with his yearmates to breakfast in silence. Although he had gotten better about walking with the rest of the Slytherins, he still on occasion would go up to breakfast ahead of everyone else to sit with his friends in Gryffindor. He knew they were expecting him to do so now, because they had all looked shocked before they could school their expressions into a neutral mask. However, Harry found himself needing the company of the Slytherins. While he loved his Gryffindor friends so much it hurt, he wanted the quiet company of the Slytherins. He knew that they were unlikely to press him about his disappearance, at least, not in public. However, he should have known  _ someone  _ would ask him  _ something  _ but he just didn't expect that someone to be Sirius.

Hedwig had arrived with his mail, and she didn't stick around long after he fed her. Harry watched her go, mournful and wishing she had stayed longer. He turned his attention to the letter she brought. It bore no outward markings, no name nor writing but he knew deep in his heart, that this letter was written by Sirius. He opened it slowly and removed the letter as if it was a bomb.

_ Harry, _

_ In our last letter, we discussed Ministry education reforms. One of those had been the introduction of a health exam. Imagine my surprise when I received a letter from a Ministry owl. I had thought they finally found me. However, the letter had not been from the Ministry, but from Severus Snape. _

_ Pup, I am so sorry. My home wasn't great either, as you know and the last thing I ever wanted was for you to know that same pain. I won't press you for answers, but rest assured, I will be here for you, pup, if you need  _ anything  _ at all. _

_ Expect a letter from Remus, as well. His wolf knew something had happened to his cub as soon as I had touched that letter. Something about being attuned to the feelings and senses of his mate (me, of course) or whatever.  _

_ I'm telling you this so you know what to expect. Remus was furious when he read the letter. Sometimes, it is easy to forget he's a werewolf but when we saw that letter, I saw the wolf on his face plainly. However. He is  _ not  _ angry with you. He understands why you had not told us. He is angry with Dumbledore for a myriad of reasons, and with the vermin you call relatives but he is not angry with you, pup. _

_ I love you. So very much, Harry. _

_ Snuffles. _

Harry wasn't aware he was crying until he was being picked up from the table and bundled out of the Great Hall by his yearmates. They brought him to an abandoned classroom where they transfigured the desks into cushions and blankets and Harry wasted no time into burrowing into them.

He watched, feeling detached and floaty as they argued quietly for a few minutes before seemingly coming to an agreement. It was Malfoy who approached him.

"Harry," he began, "Are you alright?" Harry looked at him for a long moment and he thought.

He thought of himself, just a little boy, hardly bigger than a toddler, gardening in the summer until his hands blistered and he had sunburns.

He thought of himself, starting school, and only just learning his name. How the week before classes began, his aunt and uncle took the time to make sure he knew he was  _ Harry Potter  _ and not  _ Boy _ or  _ Freak _ . He always thought he saw what might have been a flash of guilt in Aunt Petunia's eyes as she coached her nephew into learning his name at the age of 5 years old, but it was the last time he ever thought so.

He thought of how he was beaten for every trace of accidental magic and then throw in his cupboard for days.

He thought of how he stopped wanting his relatives to love him when he was 7 after the first time they allowed Marge's dogs to chase him up a tree for hours on end. 

He thought of Harry Hunting and the isolation that came with it.

He thought and thought and thought, and maybe it was his floaty feeling but he gave them an honest answer:

"No. I'm not."

"What happened, Harry? Can we help you?" 

"Snape found out about the way my aunt and uncle treat me. He's written to Madame Bones and to Sirius. I think they're going to try to put a trial together," A sudden, horrific thought occurred to him. "Where will I go? If they go to jail for child abuse, where will I go? The Weasleys haven't got enough money, I could never do that to them and Dumbledore would never let me stay with Hermione and the Ministry would never let me live with Moony," he babbled. On some level, he was aware that he had just confessed several things to them all and that he had not meant to, but he felt so far away. That problem was for a different Harry Potter.

"Harry," Greengrass ventured tentatively, "Are you saying your family abuses you?"

"Oh yeah. Madame Pomfrey even found my broken ribs during the exam. But! But she didn't get everything!" Harry grinned, pleased. "My runes worked."

"Your runes?" Zabini looked concerned.

"Yes! It took a bit of planning, but I used runes to hide the worst of it! Except," a scowl slid on his face, "That stupid  _ bat _ figured me out. He's making me have another exam later."

Before anyone could say anything else or question him further, Bulstrode spoke up.

"Guys, he's disassociating. He's not in a good headspace. He can't go to class like this."

"Should we take him to Pomfrey?" Bulstrode looked considering, before shaking her head.

"No, I think if we brought him there where she could poke and prod him over his abuse and state, that he may get worse. I think it would be best if we took him back to the dorms and took turns watching him, so that way we can keep an eye on him." 

Harry listened to the conversation, feeling far away and foggy. Were they talking about him? Suddenly, he was being stood up by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Careful! Don't jostle him too much!" Harry frowned, trying to recognize the voice. It was a girl's voice, but he wasn't aware enough to tell much else.

The next thing he knew, he was being laid down on a bed. Was it his bed? Why were they here? Surely they had classes? He frowned, trying to think, but nothing came to mind. Maybe they didn't have classes. All he was aware of was that the sheets beneath him were soft and smooth and if he ran his hand over them, it made him feel funny so he did. He was aware of people talking around him, and footsteps and a door shutting. Unable to do much else, he drifted off to sleep.

To say that Draco Malfoy was  _ confused _ was an understatement. When Harry had hidden in his warded bed and refused to emerge, he knew something was wrong. Hell, everyone did. But no one could get him out.

When he  _ did _ finally come out that morning, he seemed distant and far away. Everyone resolved to keep an eye on him, in an almost unspoken agreement. They expected to have to trail him as he headed to the Gryffindor table for breakfast but to their shock, he didn't stray far from them. At first, it seemed to be a normal, if quiet, morning. 

Normally, he talked about runes to Blaise and Millicent, as he transferred into Ancient Runes but this time he was silent. The other two looked hesitant to break the silence. 

And then the post came. Harry's owl gave him a letter and for some reason, the smaller boy blanched at the sight of it. When Harry began crying, it drew the attention of the whole table. Not because he was being loud; quite the contrary, the tears slid down his face in silence. 

Draco and Pansy were the first to react. They were at his side in an instant, shoving the letter into his things and standing him up. The rest of their year joined them then, and together they huddled around Harry and ushered him out of the Great Hall.

Draco did not expect Harry to talk to them at all, nor did he expect the babbling that followed. He also did not expect to learn that Saint Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived,  _ Harry Bloody Potter _ , the last of the Potters, a Noble and Ancient House, was  _ abused _ . 

At first, he didn't want to believe it but as he sat in the dorm keeping watch as he slept, he had to admit, it made sense. He shrank away from loud noises, he flinched when someone moved suddenly, when arguments broke out in the common room, he always retreated into the shadows or fled quickly to their dorm room and hid behind the curtains of his bed. It also explained how little he ate. Draco and Pansy had been debating for a while as to how to approach Professor Snape over the eating habits he no doubt had also noticed.

As he watched him cry out in his sleep, Draco prayed fervently that Madame Bones would ensure whoever did this to Harry would rot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so! my job is part time, friday-sundays which means monday-thursday im free. i'm not gonna say "oh i'll update every tuesday" because everytime i try to have a consistent uploading schedule, it falls apart. so. updates whenever.
> 
> also. yes. wolfstar is CANON. i am taking the allegory for gay men and i making them GAY. i'm making remus being a werewolf impact his behavior/instincts more; him viewing the marauders as his pack, knowing when sirius is feeling particularly strong emotions. he can also do this with harry, but to a lesser extent because he hasn't been around harry as long as he has been sirius. he knows when something is bothering his cub, but he's not able to pinpoint the emotions (like if hes upset, angry, etc) and he's able to smell blood/medicine/obvious injuries on harry, however when harry got to grimmlaud place, he smelled like Dementor and that masked most of his injuries and then he had to keep leaving for things so by the time he WAS there more consistently, harry was healed + in a better headspace and there wasn't anything to sniff out. 
> 
> or so he thought.
> 
> that's it for this chapter! next chapter will involve harrys gryffindor friends confronting the slytherins bc theyre convinced theyve hurt him. what happens after that. well. who is to say.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating this chapter so late! I couldn't quite figure out how I wanted the Gryffindor-Slytherin confrontation to go but I'm satisfied with this chapter finally! Thank you for your patience and continued reading!

Ronald Weasley was  _ not _ happy, thank you very much. First of all, Harry hadn't been seen nor heard from all weekend and then finally Monday morning, he and Hermione had gotten a glimpse of Harry from across the Great Hall. His eyes were far away and distant. He was at least thankful that he seemed to be alright. Guilt still swirled in his gut for ignoring Harry but- it was a confusing situation for Ron, the tan boy being in Slytherin. But he resolved to be there for the smaller boy, even if he didn't care much for the Slytherin house.

So when every single 5th year bundled Harry out of the Great Hall shortly after the post was delivered, every suspicion was raised. He refused to act rashly. Hermione and the twins had given him a verbal lashing for assuming that Harry being in Slytherin changed anything about him, and so he had to do his best to remind himself that perhaps the Slytherins weren't going to do anything  _ bad _ to Harry; perhaps they were trying to help him? He would ask Harry at lunch later that day.

Except Harry wasn't at lunch. And for that matter, neither was Parkinson, who he knew was a prefect. And that sealed it for Ron.

Something was wrong with Harry, and he just  _ knew _ those Slytherins had done  _ something  _ to him, which is how he found himself stalking across the Great Hall.

"Where is he?" he snapped, and everyone's eyes shifted to him, guarded.

"Who?" Malfoy asked.

"Prince Albert, the Queen's husband- who do you  _ think _ I'm talking about, Malfoy? Where's  _ Harry _ ?" Malfoy's features twisted into a sneer.

"He's in the dorms."

"He hates skipping classes. Where is he? What's wrong with him?" 

"He's not feeling well, and we can't convince him to go to Pomfrey," Bulstrode interjected, trying to be soothing. Ron's eyes flickered to her. 

"What's wrong with him? He gets sick easily." Ron chewed on his lip, concerned. The smaller boy always got sick easily, especially when the seasons changed and as the heat of summer mellowed into a cooler fall, then it would make sense for him to get sick. 

"He's just really exhausted. It's probably a cold, Weasley. We're keeping an eye on him, which is why Parkinson is with him."

"Is that why he was missing over the weekend?"

"Didn't know you cared, Weasley. Don't think we didn't notice how you ignored Potter when he was resorted," Malfoy spat, before Bulstrode could say anything. Ron's eyes flashed to the blonde.

"That's rich, coming from you." Ron felt incensed. How  _ dare _ Malfoy talk to him like that? It wasn't as if the stupid ferret liked Harry any! He spent four years tormenting Harry and anyone who even looked at him!

"Is there a problem, Mr. Weasley?" a low voice drawled behind him. Ron glanced behind him. 

Snape.

"No. None, sir." 

"Then I suggest you return to your lunch, lest people assume you're up to something."

It was a clear dismissal, but Ron was loathe to leave without knowing what exactly was wrong with Harry, but he didn't want to risk the detention. He shot the Slytherins a withering glare before he stormed back to his own table.

Something was wrong with Harry, and he would get to the bottom of it.

Millicent sighed as she looked at Draco while Professor Snape went back to the head table.

"Why did you have to antagonize him like that? Couldn't you see how worried he was?"

"Please, like that hypocrite cares," he dismissed.

"That's not for you to determine! We're trying to help Harry, and as it stands right now, we won't get him to answer any question! Weasley and Granger are our best bet!" Millicent argued.

"I don't need that disloyal rat's help with  _ anything _ !"

"In this case, you do! Draco, he isn't even your friend, why do you care how he treats Harry?"

"Because Potter will have trust issues because of that flighty, wishy-washy, stupid prat!"

Millicent snorted. "Harry treats Weasley and Granger like they hung the bloody moon. I doubt he has trust issues because of them."

Draco didn't respond, but instead glared across the Great Hall, boring holes into Weasley's head.

Given the way the confrontation during lunch went, perhaps the Slytherins should have expected what happened after lunch.

They were making their way to their next class, witn Blaise about to break off from the group to head to the dorms to relieve Pansy so that she could get to class when Weasley and Granger confronted them.

"Excuse me," Granger began as she stood in front of them. "Could we talk somewhere private? This won't take very long." Everyone glanced at each other. They had 15 minutes before their next class. 

"Of course, there's an empty classroom down the hall," Millicent spoke up before Draco had the chance to say anything.

Granger smiled at her, but it was a tense and worried thing. "Thank you."

And so the ragtag bunch made their way to the empty classroom. The Slytherins shut the door and casted privacy charms at it.

"I want to apologize for Ron snapping at you all," Granger began. "It's just- you mentioned that Harry was sick, and he gets sick really easily, especially as the seasons change and he never goes to the Hospital Wing so he was worried. Ron tends to lash out when he's worried." 

Millicent nodded. "I had figured it was something like that. We discussed it after the fact- no offense was taken." 

Granger nodded, slowly. "We were wondering if perhaps- you could tell us what his symptoms are? He hates missing class, you see, and maybe if we told Pomfrey what his symptoms were then she could give us a potion or two to pass along." The group glanced at each other.

"Harry won't tell us. Besides, he's been sleeping for most of today."

Granger frowned. "He was gone all weekend as well, right? It could be quite serious. Do you think you could just take him to the Hospital Wing? Levitate him there?" She looked worried and concerned, the corners of her eyes were pinched.

Millicent shook her head. "We're hesitant to do anything to him, since we don't want him lashing out."

Granger narrowed her eyes, and everyone in the room could see her thinking. "Did something happen over the weekend?" The Slytherins again glanced at each other.

"He had his health check, and then Professor Snape took him to a meeting to discuss it's findings. After that he refused to leave his bed until Monday morning."

"I sense a 'but' coming, Bulstrode," Granger said softly. "What happened after the mail came? We both saw you all escort him from the Great Hall."

This time, the Slytherins huddled together, whispering quietly amongst themselves, seemingly arguing about something. Millicent glanced over at the two Gryffindors and watched as they glanced at each other in confusion.

Hermione stared as the Slytherins argued. They seemed tense, and on edge. Truthfully, she had never seen Slytherins argue over anything before, and it confused her greatly which served to only worry her further.  _ What happened to Harry to make them argue? _ She thought desperately.

"Fine then! Tell them! And when he gets angry at us, don't say I didn't tell you so!" Malfoy snapped. Bulstrode broke away from the group.

The words that came out of her mouth froze both Hermione and Ron, "Harry had gotten a letter, and it made him cry. We took him to a classroom so he could calm down, but instead he started disassociating and after that he confessed he was abused."

"I  _ knew _ something was wrong at home!" Everyone's eyes snapped to Ron. "Bars on his window, that stupid cat flap on his door, keeping all of his school things locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Fred and George had said they had seen a cot down there, even! And then there was the summer before 4th year, remember 'Mia? When he wrote us begging for food so he wouldn't  _ starve _ ? I knew that something was wrong but Dumbledore never  _ listened  _ to me!" No one seemed to know how to process that.

"You knew?" Malfoy spat. "You knew this whole time that those muggles were abusing him and you said  _ nothing? _ What kind of a friend are you?"

"I did too say something! I went to Dumbledore, and he told me I shouldn't get in the middle of someone else's family problems! And then Mum thought we were making up the bars on his windows to get out of trouble, flying that stupid car to Surrey and back. No one  _ listened to me _ and now my best friend is-" Ron cut himself off, unable to continue. 

"Wait a second," Bulstrode cut in. "You're saying Dumbledore…  _ knew _ … what was happening to Harry, who lives with muggles?"

Ron nodded, unable to speak. 

Greengrass swore. "That isn't good." 

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, trembling slightly. All the Slytherins looked so grave and serious.

"I'm going to go tell Professor Snape," Malfoy said, and he hurried out of the room.

"What is the problem?" Hermione nearly shrieked, unnerved by how troubled the Slytherins seemed to be.

"Any student of Hogwarts with muggle guardians is granted a magical guardian, since their muggle ones won't be able to get past Diagon Alley and can't access places like St. Mungos or the Ministry. The magical guardian is traditionally either the chief warlock of Wizengamot or the headmaster. The duty is split so that way no one person is too overwhelmed with the number of charges they have," Greengrass explained, "However, Dumbledore is both and so in this case he is every muggleborn student's magical guardian. But Harry has muggle guardians. So he's also  _ Harry's _ magical guardian."

"Which means… he knew Harry was being abused and he did nothing even though he had a duty to do something as Harry's guardian," Hermione said dully, as the pieces fell into place.

The Slytherins nodded grimly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we get some heavier implications of dumbledores manipulation. if youre a fan of dumbledore, i suggest you dont read on any further because the bashing only gets stronger from here on out.
> 
> anyway! what did yall think? writing this chapter was a great way to unwind because work this weekend? Hectic To Say The Least. saturday we had a last minute birthday party booking (i work at an escape room) at 7 pm and the party lasted until 10:30. we close at 8. i worked for 12 hours straight with only a 30 minute break. y'all, i was EXHAUSTED.
> 
> anyway. hope you all enjoyed the chapter! means a lot to me if you did!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The serotonin I got from reading everyone's comments? Unreal. It was the first social interaction I had had with people since my last D&D session with my friends. And then I had the galaxy brained idea. If I wrote more chapters and published them, I could get MORE COMMENTS and get MORE SEROTONIN in these troubling times.
> 
> So here's a chapter. It's short and to the point but it's a bit of angst with a bit of happiness at the end. Harry loved his godfathers.

Harry woke up groggy and confused. His curtains were drawn shut, and he furrowed his eyebrows when he realized he was already in his uniform. Had he fallen back asleep after getting ready? He fumbled for his wand and found it in his pocket and he cast a quick  _ Tempus. 1:20. _

Harry choked, confused. It was nearly 1:30. But today was Monday! He was supposed to be in Transfiguration in a few minutes! Merlin, Professor McGonagall was going to kill him, he had to  _ go _ and beg for her forgiveness for being so late. Heart pounding at the idea of upsetting her, he yanked his curtains open and-

Pansy Parkinson was lounging on the bed next to his, reading a  _ Witch Weekly _ magazine. She glanced at him and gave him a sad yet warm smile.

"Good to see you awake, Potter. How are you feeling?"

Harry felt even more confused. "Feeling? I feel fine. Why are you here? We're  _ both _ late to Transfiguration and Professor McGonagall is going to-"

"Do you remember what happened earlier, Harry?" She asked softly, like one would speak to a startled animal. The question made Harry pause, and he frowned as he thought hard. Suddenly, he leaned forward and shot his hand into his backpack and pulled Sirius' letter out. He stared at it intently as the rest of it came flooding back.

His panic attack, his… what had Bulstrode called it? Disassociation episode? He glanced up at Parkinson and nodded once, sharply.

"We brought you back here to sleep it off. We've been taking turns to keep watch. Blaise will be here soon for his turn."

"What? But I'm fine! I'm awake and everything!" 

Parkinson rolled her eyes at him. "Please, after your morning, you're taking the morning off. And you  _ have _ to listen to me because I'm a Prefect. I'll take points, Potter. You need to rest."

"Quite right," a new voice interjected. Harry jumped and jerked his head around, throwing a stunning jinx in the direction of the voice before he even registered doing so.

The blue light of the spell shot across the room and an unfazed Zabini ducked just before it hit him. Instead, it went sailing over his head before fizzling out.

"And  _ that _ , Harry, is why you're taking the day off. Imagine if you threw a jinx at everyone who startled you. Anyway," Parkinson said, turning a vicious glare to Zabini, "You're  _ late _ ."

"I'm sorry, Pans, but we learned some rather… concerning information."

Parkinson raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"Dumbledore knew in explicit detail what had been happening to Harry." Colored drained from Parkinson's face, and she swore. "Go, you'll be late. McGonagall will be irate if you're late when Harry and I are both skipping. We'll talk later." Pansy nodded before bolting out of the room.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Harry didn't understand why the news had them reacting this way. Sure, he now knew that his Hogwarts letter didn't exactly mean that the professors were privy to his homelife, but the fact still stood that he had begged Dumbledore to stay at Hogwarts, rather than return home. Surely the old man knew that no child would beg to stay at  _ school _ rather than return home for the summer unless something was wrong. Blaise sighed, looking sympathetic. He gestured for Harry to sit on his bed and Blaise sat next across from Harry on his own bed.

"You live with Muggles, right?" Harry nodded. "You see… Muggleborn students and any student who had Muggle guardians as their primary caregiver has a Magical Guardian. The guardian is typically either the head of Wizengamot, or the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Theoretically, this is because they're the most capable wizards or witches and therefore can look after the students properly, should the need arise. The Magical Guardian only steps in if the student is put in St. Mungo's or if there's an issue at the Ministry, since Muggles can't access anything beyond Diagon Alley," Harry nodded. That made sense. "The problem, however, is that Ron Weasley said he went to Dumbledore to tell him about the time he  _ rescued  _ you from your relatives and found  _ bars on your window _ and about the time you wrote to him to  _ beg for food _ ." 

A long and heavy silence followed this as Blaise waited for Harry to come to the appropriate conclusions on his own, and the conclusions made Harry's stomach churn. Dumbledore  _ knew _ ? In no uncertain terms? He  _ knew _ and he did nothing? Harry desperately wanted to know how those conversations had gone. Had Ron gone to the headmaster, ears red and voice trembling while he choked on tears and discomfort, the way he always did when he got upset? Had Dumbledore called him  _ my boy _ before giving him a vague answer before waving him away? Did he even take it seriously? Did he believe Ron? 

Harry's eyes locked on the floor, but he wasn't seeing much.

"Harry?" Came Zabini's soft questioning voice. "Are you okay?"

"He's known since I was 12." Harry's voice was emotionless. Had Dumbledore taken Ron seriously? Or did he think it was nothing, and just the exaggerations of a young child? Harry was unsure which hurt more.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I knew he was like a mentor to you." And it was then at Blaise's words that something clicked.

"He wants something from me." Blaise's eyebrows furrowed. 

"I'm sorry?"

"Think about it, Zabini. The night my parents were attacked, Hagrid took me from my godfather and took me to the Dursleys, on  _ Dumbledore's  _ orders. And then, when I began schooling, he paid an unusual amount of attention to me. Do you remember our Sorting? How hard he clapped when I got Sorted?" Zabini looked pensive, deep in thought, and he nodded. "He's been guiding me ever since I started school. And if he knew about the Dursleys, and did nothing, then he doesn't  _ truly  _ care about me. And if that's the case, then  _ why  _ pay so much attention to me?" 

This time, it was Harry who let Zabini think in silence.

"The only thing I can think of is that he wants something from you," he said finally. Harry nodded, and bit his lip. However, before he could spiral, there was a loud hoot at the door. Both boys glanced at each other in confusion before Zabini stood up and opened the door.

Harry had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Standing on the floor, looking so very affronted, was Hedwing and in her beak was a letter. She flapped her wings in indignation before shooting up and swooping to Harry. She perched on his shoulder and gave him an offended nip.

"Alright, girl, I get it, I'm sorry, I won't shut you out," he cooed, nuzzling into her. "I'm sorry, settle down." She hooted at him as he reached for the letter and she began messing with Harry's hair to preen it and she pressed against him, eyeing Zabini as she did so. Harry laughed as he opened the letter, amused at her protective display. "Zabini isn't gonna hurt me, Hedwig. It's fine, promise." He heard Zabini snort and Hedwig paused in her ministrations to hoot at him, as if to say  _ Absolutely not _ before resuming her actions.

Harry's fond smile fell as he read the letter.

_ Cub, _

_ Your owl is very bright, Harry. Came straight to me when I finished my letter. It's like she knows when I want to speak with you. _

_ Amelia Bones sent me a letter, explaining the results of your health exam. Sirius said that he told you to expect this letter, and that he warned you I may be a bit… upset.  _

_ Werewolves, you see, have many wolf instincts. I'm sure you know wolves live in a pack. Wolves are very protective of their young- their cubs. Once upon a time, my pack was the Marauders, and your mother. When you were born, in my mind you became a pack cub. In many ways, Harry, I view you and think of you as my own son. Another trait werewolves possess is a heightened sense of smell. Emotions typically cause a smell, because they can trigger physical reactions. In some ways, I always knew something was wrong because you always smelled so troubled. I hope you can forgive me for not knowing sooner that something was wrong; teenagers have many things to be troubled with, and you moreso than others. I apologize for not speaking with you about what I could smell. _

_I want to stress this. I love you very much, and whatever happened to you, know this: _**_You did not deserve it._** _I suspect Sirius may be of more help, as his homelife was much the same until he ran away, but I love you and if you ever want someone to pay a visit to the Dursleys, you need only ask, cub._

_ Remus _

"Are you alright?" Zabini asked, frowning. Harry answered him with a matching frown, confused. Remus' letter made him feel  _ warm _ and cared for. To know how Remus felt, so plainly was… nice. To also know Remus was willing to defend Harry was also nice. Harry felt a fierce wave of love for the man. Suddenly, Harry craved on an almost molecular level, to be with Remus and Sirius.

He wanted Sirius' bone crushing bear hugs, wanted to feel Sirius run his fingers through his untamed hair. Wanted to smell Remus' comforting smell of chocolate and butterbeer. He missed them so much it ached, and to know in no uncertain terms that they felt the same way, that they  _ loved him _ even after knowing everything? It made him miss them more.

"Yeah," Harry choked out through his own tears. "Homesick, is all." Hedwig gave another soft hoot, and resumed her grooming of her owner.

Perhaps it was the letter that gave him the strength because when Snape entered the dorm after History of Magic to bring him to Pomfrey, he wasn't afraid. 

Maybe things would be okay after all. Not even Snape's promised lecture for skipping a whole day of classes could bring him down.

Maybe things would be okay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are good for serotonin. spare comment? spare comment ma'am? anyway! what do y'all think? i wanted to showcase harry being smart bc everyones like "harrys so dumb but i love him" no!! hes SMART!!! he knew someone was after the stone even when the adults didnt!! my boy is so smart, youre just mean


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of a unique one in that normally when I do these different POV chapters, I go back and show Harry's perspective. I will not be showing Harry's perspective for this chapter, as I have no desire to make you all read the effects of the abuse he suffered.
> 
> All that being said. I cried twice writing this chapter and it is in some ways, a very personal chapter for me.

The news that Harry had been abused, quite severely, had shaken Sirius. When he first read the letter, his mind was blank and he was drawn to two memories, both from Sirius' 4th year, before he had run away.

_ Sirius stood on the platform with his brother. His mother and father had already said their goodbyes when they dropped him and Regulus off for the train. They hadn't bothered to stick around after Reg's first year. He and his brother knew it caused gossip that their parents never were seen with the boys in public, but no one dared breathe a word of it to them. Distanced they might have been from their family, but they were still _ Blacks _ and that name came with weight. Practically royalty in the wizarding world. Regulus' eyes were on his friends. Sirius knew how it hurt his younger brother that their parents didn't _ care _ about them, and while Sirius liked to claim he was unaffected, sometimes it got to him. _

_ Like right now. Watching as James bounded over to the brothers, with the faintest hint of lipstick on his cheek. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered what shade Mrs. Potter had worn to get it to even show up on James' Indian skin. Normally, the Lady Potter favored colors that hardly ever showed on James' skin. Perhaps it was a shade of red left over from the war era? But his eyes were not focused on his best friend, but rather on Remus and Peter, who were still saying goodbye to their parents. Remus' mother was fussing over his clothes, brushing them down and smoothing them out of worry, while tears shined in Mrs. Pettigrew's eyes as she embraced her son one last time. A painful thought hit Sirius- Had his mother ever fussed over him like that? Did she ever love him and Regulus like that? With a kind of ferocity that resembled how a dragon guarded her clutch? Did she ever love them so much that it pained her to part with them? Sirius knew that whatever affection his mother may have had for him was long since gone, except for when she was scolding Regulus. Likewise, it seemed their mother cared little for Regulus- unless scolding Sirius. _

_ "Sirius never got these kinds of marks!" she had shrieked at Regulus one night over Yule Break when it was revealed the younger had barely gotten an Acceptable in History of Magic. Likewise, Sirius heard "Regulus never acts like this!" whenever a letter got sent to the house. _

_ Surely at some point, Mother must have held affection for her sons? When they were infants, perhaps? Too young and small to survive without her and Father? _

_ "Mate, you alright?" James' voice broke him out of his thoughts. _

_ "Fine," he said, turning to grab Regulus' hand, who squeezed it tightly. "Let's go find a compartment." _

_ Some months later, they were in Defense Against the Dark Arts and were learning about Boggarts but the whole thing made Sirius' stomach cold. What did he fear the most? _

_ His mind kept coming back to Mother, despite how desperately he didn't want it to. And yet, he had no one to blame but himself for being surprised when his mother stepped out of the trunk. _

_ Walburga Black was beautiful, in an Ice Queen sort of way. Her dark hair was curly much like Sirius' was, and it was piled into an elegant bun on her head. She wore sophisticated robes. Silence filled the class, and then she spoke. _

_ "Stain of dishonor! Blood traitor! Shame of my flesh! Embarrassment to the name of Black! Did you think I could ever have loved you? The biggest disappointment ever to have been begotten?" A loud cackling filled the air, and the class was too stunned to react. "Perhaps I only have myself to blame. Should have disciplined you more, shouldn't I? Let's start now! Cru-" His mother was cut off by Remus jumping in front of him, wand out, and fury pouring from his every pore. Walburga Black vanished and was replaced by a moon which was quickly banished by Remus. _

_ The secret was out. _

Still, Sirius didn't think it could get worse.

Oh he was so very wrong. In his hands, he had a copy of Harry's health exam. Severe malnourishment, dangerously underweight, anemia due to poor nutrition, and a plethora of poorly healed broken bones and plenty of old scars that spoke to the type of abuse Harry had suffered.

Sirius copied the letter before burning the original. He hid the copy in the Black Library, knowing that Remus would never enter it and he needed that. If the other knew what their pup had suffered, what had been done to him, then the man would have marched himself to Surrey to kill Lily's sister and her husband himself.

Harry didn't need that.

Sirius screamed as he sank to the floor and imagined Harry, just a baby, growing up like that. Not knowing what it meant to be loved until recently.

In the span of a few months, Harry had gone from a chubby, much loved and spoiled baby to a neglected toddler without anyone to fight for him.

Sirius narrowed his eyes as he reread Harry's letter that had accompanied the health exam. It was short and to the point, simply reading

_ Dumbledore knew about it. _

Harry might not have had anyone to fight for him as a toddler, but he did now and Sirius would be damned if he let that stupid manipulative _ bastard _ get away with this. 

Sirius sat down, grabbed a quill and paper and began to write.

_ Madame Bones, _

_ I have some information that may interest you regarding a prisoner. Look up the trial records for prisoner Perþ-Algiz-3-9-0. _

_ A friend _

Sirius had business to get to, but he could only do them as a free man.

~*~

Amelia Bones was not having a very good week, thank you very much, and do not ask again unless you had Chamomile Tea. First, she had read everything that had happened to Harry Potter, which made her want to set several things on fire, upto and including those horrible Muggles who pretended to call themselves 'Humans' and then she had gotten a letter, telling her to look up trial records for Prisoner Perþ-Algiz-3-9-0.

Sirius Black.

As the Head of the DMLE, Madame Bones knew the man's prisoner number like the back of her hand. She did not, however, know his file. Why would she? After all, she had only been an Auror Trainee when the former Junior Auror had been arrested, and everyone knew the story of how it had all happened.

Except there was no trial on record. No confession on record. Just an intake sheet with _ Guilty _stamped on it.

A potentially innocent man had been sent to 12 years in Azkaban. And wasn't that just swell? Feeling a migraine come on, she penned a response to whomever had given her the tip.

_ Snuffles, _

_ I can only assume this is your identity. A letter for you had been given to me to send to you by Mister Severus Snape. Given what all is going on, I find the timing of this to be suspicious. I assume you are therefore aware of Mr. Potter's condition and wish for a retrial for his Godfather. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say _ trial _ as after all, I am unable to find evidence one ever occurred in the first place. _

_ Since you seemed to know about the lack of trial, may I also assume you have evidence in the case and can also bring the man in question in for questioning? I swear on my Magic he will not be harmed if he does come in. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Madame Amelia Bones, _

_ Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. _

The response came back in an hour.

_ Yes to all assumptions. Harry's Godfather will find you in exactly 24 hours. _

_ Snuffles. _

Amelia grinned. Perhaps things would be looking up for Mr. Potter soon, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i remember telling someone a little while ago that there would be more than one trial. i hope this progressions feels natural; sirius may not have been in slytherin but he was raised by them and i imagine he was very shrewd and intelligent, not to mention cunning and ambitious. sirius wants to raise his godson, so by god sirius is gonna raise his godson, even if he has to take him and move to another country to do so. but i imagine getting the trial would be easier. not to mention, hes got a Time Crunch going on here. voldemort is alive and if harry doesnt have a home by summertime, hes in danger. "so uhh Chop Chop with the trial!" - sirius, probably.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is short, sweet and to the point but the next chapter will be.... Much Much Longer.

The last thing Amelia Bones expected when she came into work was to see Remus Lupin with a dog in her office, but stranger things had happened.

"Hello, Mr. Lupin. What may I do for you?" He eyed her warily, and although she wanted to bristle at his hesitation she knew he only was on edge because Ministry employees, even the Hufflepuff ones who prided themselves on being fair, were not kind to werewolves.

Finally, he said "I found a dog. I thought you may find him useful." And before she could even ask him what he meant, Sirius Black stood in her office.

She had to admit, he looked much better than he did in the Prisoner Intake photo. His hair was brushed and he looked healthier, even though he still looked far older than his 30 some years.

"I have some penesive memories that may interest you." Black handed her three vials, each one clearly labeled. The first was labeled  _ The Secret Keeper _ , the second labeled  _ The Confrontation  _ and the final one labeled  _ 12 Years Later _ and Amelia glanced back at him as she read them.

"Tell me what happened on October 31st, 1981."

Sirius inhaled a ragged breath, and spoke. "I was supposed to be the Secret Keeper for James and Lily, but I thought it was too obvious. I thought surely that Voldemort would come for me, and I knew the secret could be given in a variety of ways- Imperio, torture. I was ready to face death, if necessary, to keep the Potters safe. James was my brother. So I had an idea, one I thought brilliant. I told James. Make Peter Pettigrew the Secret Keeper but then tell a select few people I was the Secret Keeper. Word would reach Voldemort eventually, nothing stayed hidden for long back then, you remember…

"I thought it was brilliant. Voldemort would come for me and he could kill me and the secret wouldn't have been given up, and he would have believed the secret died with me. But then, Peter started acting strangely. Avoided the group gatherings we held at Potter Cottage, and when he did come around, he seemed so  _ grief stricken.  _ We thought maybe it was the war. But then one day, I felt… something… through the godfather bond I had with Harry. So I went to check on them. And when I got there, the whole cottage was blasted to bits. Hagrid was there, taking Harry. He said Dumbledore told him to give him to his guardians, and I thought he was going to take Harry to Remus' house, or to mine, and that he'd wait for us. So I gave him my Motorbike and I hunted down Peter. He shouted for the whole street to hear that I had killed James and Lily and then cut his finger off and blew up the whole street," Sirius' eyes were locked on something far away. He looked haunted, and Amelia thought his story made much more sense than the story they had all been told. She was a few years older than Remus and Sirius, and she saw first hand how close they had been with James. This version of accounts made much more sense.

"I see. I will review the evidence you have presented me, and I will secure you a trial. It will have as  _ many  _ reporters in it as it can, to ensure as many people know the truth as possible, and I will personally escort you past security." Sirius nodded, relieved. He turned to Remus and enveloped the taller man in a hug, and for a brief moment, Amelia thought she heard Sirius say something about Harry, but she chose to ignore it, deeming it a private moment between the two.

As it turned out, the trial was a quick one. The Minister had not been informed of the trial. Amelia knew that he would try to have a Dementor administer a Kiss before the whole thing could occur, and while she knew she could lose her job for this, it was a last stand she'd retain with pride. After the memories, from multiple perspectives as she had gotten some from Remus and a certain child, had been played to corroborate the story Sirius had told her, Wizengamot cleared Sirius Orion Black the Second of all charges, unanimously.

However, something in Dumbledore's eyes troubled her, and she remembered quite clearly that Sirius said it was on Dumbledore's orders that Harry Potter be taken to his aunt and uncle's house, given that he had not been delivered to Sirius or Remus' residences. She felt, quite suddenly, as if she had made an enemy far more dangerous than You-Know-Who, and she sent a quick prayer to Lady Magic that they'd all be protected in the fallout, because if this was his reaction to Sirius' trial, she could only imagine what he would do when he caught wind of the Dursley trial and the emergency removal of Harry Potter from their care, occurring in two weeks.

Well. Her Patronus wasn't a hyena for nothing. She would meet the challenge head on, and protect Harry, Sirius and Remus, even if  _ that _ would be her last stand.

It was a stand to take with pride, she thought, as she watched a crying Harry embrace his godfathers.


	13. author's note

hey, this isn't an update but me letting y'all know a few things happening irl!

i don't think i've said anything before but i was (am) a college dropout. i had unenrolled due to financial reasons. however. because of covid, i've been getting unemployment because my county is on lockdown until... at least may 4th. anyway, since im out of work due to covid-19, i've been getting unemployment with like Extra Money as a result of the pandemic. that, in addition to the stimulus check i've gotten means that i'm able to pay off my tuition and loans and go back to school in the fall. 

i'm in the process of getting all of this sorted out- paying everything off, trying to set up phone meetings with academic advisors, etc, so that way in august i can resume my education. i also will resume working when the quarantine ends, so i'll still be busy even in the near future.

as a result, this fic will take a bit of a back seat. it is NOT abandoned, and i WILL update it when i have the time.

on the topic of updates, however, i want to make a few things clear. this isn't aimed at any one person, so i hope none of you feel like i'm singling you out. but guys: i have stated numerous times that a) this fic will be updated infrequently (its... literally a tag), b) a lot of harry's experiences in this fic are based off of my own, and c) i have ptsd as a result of the abuse i suffered. this means i am not always in the headspace to write a fic about child abuse. this fic is VERY personal for me. points b and c alone delay my writing, nevermind a global pandemic. the pandemic is stressing me out a lot, because i'm chronically ill and have a weakened immune system. if i were to catch covid, there's a very real chance i could be hospitalized or die. this is very stressful, it's also very traumatic for me, which in turn has made me a LOT less stable, in terms of how i cope with my ptsd.

i shouldn't have to explain these things, but i am, because i've gotten at least 5 comments asking when i'm going to update this. i had deleted 4 of them, but responded to the 5th one. 

y'all, please understand: i do this for free. i am not paid to write this. you therefore are not entitled to my time, energy, or work, especially when these things have serious ramifications for my mental health. 

i'm very pleased you guys like what im writing, but please do understand i have other things going on here.

also, while i am on this vein: everything happening to harry is a) canon, b) based on my own childhood and c) based on my experiences as a childhood psychology student/social worker student. i've had a few people tell me that harry cant be unvaccinated because of whatever law and like... i don't want to sound rude here but that is The Point. the things the dursleys are doing are Illegal. however this *doesn't* mean the adults in harry's life Believed Him when he said anything. the dursleys canonly habitually discredited harry, which is an abuse tactic to make people less likely to believe the victim if they spoke up and it Worked in Canon. like i don't want to sound rude when i say this, but Some Of You Have Never Been Abused And It Shows. like when i was 8 years old, i told my 3rd grade teacher that my parents would leave my brothers and i (all under the age of 10) at home, alone, and go to ANOTHER STATE to gamble. another time, in high school, i told a teacher that my father chased my older brother with a knife, and Nothing Happened. 

like i don't want to shatter your hopes and dreams, but most adults (in my experience, both as an abuse victim and someone with knowledge Of The System) tend to not believe children when abuse allegations come up, because it's Easier. abuse is a HARD thing to talk about, so it's more often than not, not talked about.

i am telling you all these things because i have also had people argue with me that these things "aren't realistic"; they are realistic and happen tragically all too often. please do not think you can explain to me how abuse victims are treated. i know painfully well how we're treated.

sorry for this long update, it's just some things i needed to say. thank you for sticking with me. i appreciate it a lot.


	14. authors note pt 2

hey guys! i didnt wanna leave yall wondering where an update is so here is a life update and an explanation.

  
originally, i took a hiatus from writing because i was getting ready to go back to school to finish up my degree, but then my mother and older brother both got COVID. my dad hasn't been able to leave the house to go to work, so he's working from home but because he's working from home, this means im now the primary provider for my family in terms of meals, groceries and taking care of my family while my mother and older brother are sick.

i am planning on updating this when i get the chance, i just don't know when that will be. thank you all so much for your patience and understanding, and im so sorry for the wait.

i hope you're all staying healthy and safe!


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